The White Mirror
by Almarre
Summary: Ever wondered about that traveling mirror at the bottom of the great northern sea? What if it led to someplace other than Manhattan? Revisions complete!
1. Chapters One - Five

Disclaimer: I do not own The Tenth Kingdom in any way, shape, or form.  
  
  
The White Mirror   
A Fanfiction Sequel to The Tenth Kingdom  


  


  
CHAPTER ONE  
  


King Wendell sat at his desk, his head in his hands. The noise was _too much _. He stood up and walked over to the window.  
The palace grounds were in shambles. The turrets were covered in dust and rock, at least the ones that were still standing. His palace's courtyard was a mess of debris. The men that were scattered about were slowly disassembling his castle. The King gritted his teeth. And to think this had been _his_ idea! An extremely long letter from the troll king sat on his desk and he couldn't concentrate on a word of it because of these imbeciles wreaking havoc in his garden.  
Where in God's name is Antony? he shouted ill-temeredly at one of the guards who was standing just inside the door.  
He-he's not here your majesty, the guard stammered. He's gone to visit the Lady Virginia for a few days.  
Wendell sighed. Of course. How could he forget?  
Inform me the minute he arrives, the King ordered.  
Yes, Sire.  
Wendell headed for his chambers. It was amazing how much he relied on that manservant. Actually, he was more of a friend to Wendell now. Besides, Antony was bringing what he called an Industrial Revolution to the Nine Kingdoms. And he was starting with Wendell's new bouncing castle. Those seemed to be Antony's specialty.  
It'll be more interesting at least, mumbled Wendell. Being King had not been as thrilling as he had hoped. But it was certainty better than being a dog. That hadn't been a pleasant experience.  
I wonder how Virginia and Wolf are, he said to himself as he reached his room. He glanced at the Traveling mirror propped up against a bookshelf. The two had gone through it a couple weeks ago, as Tony had yesterday. They had brought their baby boy, Patrick, with them. All the maids had fawned over him and congratulated Virginia, who had looked quite happy. Almost as happy as Wolf.  
Wendell stared at his reflection in the magic mirror.  
I should go to Man Hat In someday.  
***  
  
Dad. Please. Stop, Virginia rolled her eyes. Dad, give him to me. She reached for Patrick.  
Tony said sternly, I should be able to spend time with my own grandson. Shouldn't I, wittle Patty-watty, cutie pie baby, oh yes, tickle, tickle, tickle!  
Patrick's bright green eyes lit up and he howled with laughter. Tony's eyes were misty and he was talking in his baby voice. Virginia, disgusted, couldn't stand it any longer. Patrick seemed to be enjoying the smothering, so she left them alone. After all, they only saw each other every couple months.  
Virginia walked slowly down the stairs of their new apartment, running her hand over the banister. She smiled as she remembered how it came to be theirs. To put it mildly, the Murrys had seemed to be unusually generous with their spending money when Virginia and Wolf had returned from the Nine Kingdoms. In fact, the Murrys had begged the two to take everything they owned. Virginia couldn't help but accept _some._ She saw it as pay back for all those years of Murry misery. Besides, she and Wolf hadn't had any money when they first got back. And the spell had to wear off sometime, didn't it?  
Virginia reached the bottom of the stairs and paused to look out the window. It was raining again. Virginia sighed and closed the blinds. The weather had been nothing but rain for almost two months now. _Nothing _but rain. New York City was starting to flood, but luckily they were on the twentieth story of their apartment building. It still gave her a headache. She headed to the kitchen for some aspirin.  
Wolf exclaimed from his seat at the table in the kitchen as she walked in. He was reading a cookbook. Where did you get this thing? There are some great recipes I could use at the Grill.  
Oh, I wouldn't do that, Virginia warned, walking over and taking the book. Grand- mother gave this to Dad a long time ago. She was probably trying to kill him - I thought I threw this out already. She flipped through the pages and laughed.  
Wolf looked slightly disappointed but shrugged. Well, I have lots of other ones.  
Yes, you do, Virginia answered without hesitation, and tossed the book into the garbage. She reached into the cupboard for the aspirin.  
Does it rain this much in the Kingdoms? she asked Wolf.   
Virginia, have you ever read a fairy tale where it rains? Of course not, he said, as if this were obvious. He smiled. Somebody could get _wet_. It only rains at night in the Kingdoms.  
Virginia poured herself a glass of water and winced as she swallowed the pills. That sounds really nice..., she sighed.  
Suddenly it was dark. Virginia and Wolf looked at each other, then up at the hanging light on the ceiling. The power had gone out. They both rushed to the window.  
New York City was dark. All the buildings that had been brightly lit a moment before now looked like part of the silent night sky. Virginia gasped and put a hand to her mouth. She had never imagined this would come with the storm. It was like one of those Y2K horror movies, and here she was, living it. She could already hear the honking and yelling twenty stories below.  
She looked up at Wolf and bit her lip.   
he faltered. We could go to the Kingdoms?  
That's a wonderful idea! Virginia cried, relieved. This could get really messy, you know. I mean, I can't see a light anywhere for miles- it's the perfect opportunity for murderers and thieves to...um... uh... I'll go pack! She ran up the stairs.  
I'm sure it'll come back on soon! Wolf called after her, then shrugged his shoulders and smiled.  
Virginia nearly ran into Tony, carrying Patrick, as they were coming down the stairs in the dark. The lights are off, you know, Tony informed her unnecessarily.  
We're leaving, she said shortly, taking Patrick.  
  
For the Kingdoms! Virginia, exasperated, hurried to her room.  
Oh, oh. Good idea, Tony said. He started downstairs, then stopped. You do realize that there's no electricity in the Kingdoms, either.  
But they _never_ have electricity, so there won't be any ax murderers running around because it's out!  
Wolf rolled his eyes towards Virginia as he came up the stairs. Tony shook his head and went to the den where he would have been sleeping for the weekend. This was a short vacation, he muttered as he groped for his sleeping bag in the dark.   
* * *  
  
Tony, Wolf, and Virginia holding Patrick in a carrier all stood under three umbrellas in the middle of a dark Central park. The ground was so wet that their feet were almost covered in mud, and rain was paying no attention to their umbrellas, drenching all of them despite their efforts to stay dry.   
They were searching for the portal to the Nine Kingdoms, the magical Mirror, which from the Tenth Kingdom's side looked like a piece of the forest that didn't fit. It was turning out to be more than difficult to find in the rain and dark.  
Maybe they didn't turn it on yet, Virginia suggested half-heartedly to Tony, who had just untangled his head from a nearby bush.  
I specifically told them, using this _very_ reliable hand-held Spying Mirror, Tony ex-plained, irritably waving a tiny mirror in front of her face, that we would be here at exactly this time and that this is when they should turn the Mirror on.  
Well, it's not here, Virginia mumbled.  
Here it is! Wolf yelled from behind them. Tony smirked and walked over to him. Virginia followed sourly, lugging Patrick along with her.  
They stood in front of the blurry, watery surface of a magic traveling Mirror.  
Oh, great. I'll go first, Tony smiled even wider and walked up to the Mirror.  
Sure, Dad. We don't mind, Virginia said sarcastically, brushing a strand of dripping -wet hair out of her face.  
Tony ignored her, held tightly to the three bags full of diapers and bottles that he was carrying, and stepped into the mirror. His body seemed to liquify for a moment, and then he disappeared.  
Here, Wolf. Take this. Virginia handed him the baby carrier after taking Patrick out of it. I'll hold him while I go through, she said. You can go first.  
All right, Wolf said eagerly. He took a huge step and vanished into the watery surface.   
Virginia clutched Patrick tightly to her chest. He had just woken up- it was amazing what babies could sleep through- and he was busy being fascinated by the strange sight before him. Virginia was always nervous about taking him with her through the mirror, but she had gotten used to the idea, as Patrick had, because they did it often to visit with Wendell. Still, she took a deep breath as everything around her changed.  
Smash! Smash! Smash!  
Virginia and Patrick flew through the dozens of mirrors that were always there, unbroken, each time the mirror was used. Virginia had figured out that they must be some kind of illusion, because it didn't hurt at all when they smashed into the glass. Her eyes were shut tightly as they always were on this trip. Patrick was laughing and waving his fists. Virginia wasn't aware of anything except Patrick and crashing mirrors.  
Then, in one terrible second, Patrick was gone. Virginia's eyes flew open and she whipped her head back. Patrick was stuck in one of the mirrors. And the mirror had turned white. Virginia's blood turned to stone. She watched, helpless, as her son started to wail. He was framed inside the mirror, cracks rippling out on the glass from his tiny body. Virginia screamed but she couldn't stop herself from flying further away, and the last she saw of Patrick was the mirror swallowing him up, and she knew she would never reach him.  
Virginia fell to the floor of Wendell's palace gasping for air. For a moment she didn't move, then she stood up, turned around, and slammed her body against the mirror. She was again lost in the world of mirrors.   
Smash! Smash! Smash! Smashsmashsmashsmash!  
Virginia heard screaming, the most awful, bone-chilling screaming, and it took her a moment to realize it was herself.  
And then it was over again. She hadn't seen Patrick at all. He had really vanished. Virginia collapsed into the mud of New York, her hot tears drenching her almost as much as the puddle she was sitting in. All she knew was a cold, empty yet heavy feeling that made her limbs too much of a burden to lift her hand to her face.  
Suddenly Wolf was beside her, his eyes wide with fear. Virginia rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed. Wolf was too shocked to do anything. He just stared into the growing darkness.  
He had seen it all, through the mirror from the other side. Patrick had been ripped from Virginia's arms and trapped in one of the mirrors that she had just passed through, and the mirror had turned white. Virginia had continued to come towards him, but Patrick had seemed to fly further away, finally being devoured by the mirror, or so it looked. And when they had come back through, he wasn't there. Gone.  
Wolf stood up and dragged Virginia up off the ground also. He shook her to get her to look at him, and when she did, her expression was so frightened and desperate, it almost made him burst out in tears.   
he said gently, trying to keep the pain out of his voice, We need to go back. We can't do anything here.  
She nodded. She knew that, but she was so scared. She took Wolf's hand, and he stepped through the mirror before either of them could think about it.  
The sound of smashing mirrors seemed far away and blurred. They both looked for their son amidst the chaos, but unsurprisingly he was nowhere to be seen.  
Wolf and Virginia stumbled into the palace where Tony, Wendell, and a dozen servants and guards stood waiting for them with worried, bewildered looks on their faces.   
Are you all right? asked Wendell, staring at them.  
Wolf looked at Virginia. They hadn't seen, he realized. How were they going to explain?  
Virginia went over to a chair and sat down with a thump. Her heart felt like lead. She put her head in her hands, but didn't cry. She was done crying. For now.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  


  
They all stood around the mirror anxiously. They being Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Wendell. The mirror being a magic Spying Mirror. Anxiously meaning in a state of raging terror.   
Why isn't it working?! Wolf was about to add one more smashed mirror to his problems. But then he would never see his son again. Not to mention he would have seven years bad luck.   
This isn't the fastest mirror in the Nine Kingdoms, all right? Tony snapped, his face a bright red.   
I realized it isn't the fastest mirror after the first half hour of standing here watching it. Now, _why_ isn't it working? Wolf asked through gritted teeth.  
How am I supposed to know? I didn't make the stupid thing. And don't look at me like it's my fault! Tony yelled.  
Well, you are the one who was banging and kicking it before, Wendell said accusingly. Then to Wolf, But you're the one who insulted it.  
How was I supposed to know Mirrors had feelings? Wolf muttered.  
All of you shut up! Virginia screamed. They all fell silent. In a quieter, but just as menacing voice, she continued, Every second you three stand there arguing, that's one more minute we're away from Patrick. Right now, get that Mirror to show us the Dwarves.  
That's easier said than done, Tony said in an undertone.  
Fine. If you can't do it, I will. Virginia stepped up to the Mirror, gave them all withering look, and said slowly and deliberately, Summon the Dwarves of Dragon Mountain. _Please_ .   
The Mirror's surface shimmered and suddenly a tiny man's face appeared. Wendell, Wolf, and Tony shook their heads in disbelief, but Virginia just looked at the Dwarf with interest. The others did the same.   
Wolf recognized the Dwarf as the Governor of the most prosperous Dwarf mine in the Ninth Kingdom. He was also the one who had sentenced Virginia and Tony to death during their visit to that Kingdom. The Governor looked a bit more humble before Wendell and the heroes who had saved the Nine Kingdoms now.  
Ah, King Wendell, he said, bowing, What a pleasant surprise.  
Behind the Dwarf, Wolf could see hordes of other little men. They were working diligently, intent on their life's work of making magic mirrors. Wolf only hoped that one of those mirrors might help him find his son.   
Yes, Governor, but it is anything but pleasant, I'm afraid, Wendell said seriously.  
The Dwarf's face sunk. What is it?  
Wendell hesitated. Virginia and Wolf were passing through the remaining traveling mirror and, see, you know how there's that illusion when there's all those mirrors and then Patrick kind of... Wendell trailed off and looked at Wolf apologetically. You explain. I didn't even see it.  
Wolf sighed and turned to the mirror that held Dragon Mountain and the people who might help them. If they could explain what he was going to tell them.  
He was stuck in one of the mirrors, and it turned white. And then he disappeared.  
Several seconds passed in silence. The Governor showed no sign that he had even heard them, except that his eyes grew wide as saucers. Other than that, he looked as if he had been turned to stone. This made Wolf even more scared than if the Dwarf had screamed and run around in circles at the news.  
So, can you help? Virginia asked impatiently.  
The Dwarf didn't answer, or even seem to hear or see her at all. His expression was blank as he took a small Mirror out of his pocket. The four speechless persons on the other side of the Mirror watched him silently take the little Spying Mirror in his left hand. His other hand he pressed onto the Mirror's surface. Instantly his hand was enveloped in a slimy- looking coating of liquid. Just as quickly, the Governor pulled his hand out. What was left was a mold of his palm.  
Wolf was completely confused. Had the Dwarf heard what they had said? What did he think he was doing , and how could it possibly help?  
The Governor took the impression of his tiny hand and walked over to another, full- length Mirror. The Spying Mirror followed his movements. Wolf could see the mold clearly now. As he watched the Dwarf step up to the larger mirror, something clicked in Wolf's mind.  
Of course! Every educated person in the Nine Kingdoms knew what this meant. Why hadn't he seen it before? He snapped his head over to look at Wendell. He was standing stock still, looking like he had seen a ghost. Wolf understood; this was worse than ghosts. Virginia and Tony just looked confused.  
Excuse me, what is going on? Tony inquired.  
Fear swept through Wolf's mind. This was ten times more serious than he'd thought, and it was just about to get worse.  
The Governor looked like he was really going to regret what he was about to do as he held the impression at arm's length up to the mirror. He looked up at the four worried faces, some more worried than others.  
I'm very sorry, he whispered. Please come quickly.   
  
  
The Dwarf pushed his hand through the mirror, and the world ripped apart.  


  
***  


It was literally as loud as it gets. Every atom stood still, held by that noise. It was the most high-pitched, ear-splitting, earth-shattering sound that was ever heard.  
It only lasted for a second, but everyone in the Nine Kingdoms was deafened by it for an hour. Virginia was literally slammed against the wall when the noise hit. She had no idea what had happened when she woke up later, but she figured she must have passed out. The last thing she remembered, it had been nighttime, and the crazy Dwarf had caused that unnatural sound. Now it was early morning, and everyone else around her was unconscious.  
Virginia got up and walked over to Wendell, who was closest. Only when she tried to wake him up did she realize that she couldn't hear herself. She put a hand to her throat in a panic, then realized she would probably be like this for a while. She wondered where that unearthly noise had come from. She couldn't imagine what device could possess the power to create any sound of that amazing volume.  
She reached over and shook Wolf until he woke up, then mouthed to him, _What happened?_ He didn't answer (he couldn't anyway), but instead looked around the room as if he had never seen any of it before. Then he seemed to remember something, and lay back down with a silent groan and thump.   
Virginia shrugged and tried again to wake Wendell, then Tony. As soon as he opened his eyes, Tony sprang up and ran over to the Spying mirror. He tried to use its secret catch to start it up, but it didn't work.  
Tony tried to say something, then silently cursed when he couldn't. Instead he jabbed his finger at the Mirror and looked at Wendell and Wolf.   
Wendell, holding his head, which seemed to be paining him, took a piece of paper and a quill pen from a nearby table. He wrote something, then showed it to Virginia and Tony, his hands shaking - _The mirrors don't work _.  
That obviously was not good. Virginia's mind overflowed with questions, but Tony grabbed the paper first. _Did I forget to say please?_  
Wolf got up and took the paper. _No_ , he scribbled. _He shut down the mirrors_.  
_What was that sound?_ Virginia snatched the paper and wrote.  
Wolf sighed. _It was the sound of all the mirrors in the Nine Kingdoms being shut down!_  
_Why?!_ This made no sense.  
This time Wendell took the paper. _You know about the other Traveling Mirror? _ Virginia searched her memory and saw Gustav, the Mirror in the Dwarf mine, telling them about a mirror with barnacles upon its head.  
_The one at the bottom of the Great Northern Sea?  
_ Wendell nodded mysteriously and didn't write anything more. Virginia was tired of not having a clue as to what was going on. What are you talking about?! she yelled in frustration. She was quite surprised and happy to find that she could almost hear herself, although not very well.  
Wolf and Wendell didn't seem all that ecstatic at finding they could talk. In fact, they were just sitting, staring into space in a state of shock.  
Virginia decided to wake them up. What do all these stupid Mirrors have to do with Patrick? she screamed at the top of her lungs so as to be heard.  
Wolf got up and went over to the bookcase that the Traveling Mirror was leaning against. He scanned the shelves, running his finger over the spines of the dusty books. He stopped at a huge volume and hefted it off the shelf and onto a table. It was an enormous book, titled, Magic Mirrors: An Extensive Guide to Care, Usage, and History.  
Tony gave the book a hostile glare. He was about to ask, How is this going to help?, but Virginia held him back. She could tell there was some point to this.   
Wolf looked at them but didn't open the book yet. Instead he took a deep breath and said loudly, The Mirror at the bottom of the Great Northern Sea did not fall in. It was thrown, with very, very good reason. He scratched at his forehead absently, like he was arguing with himself. I don't know why I didn't see it before, it turned white, it was all right there....  
Virginia gave him a look that said, quite seriously, Just tell us what is going on, _now_.  
Wolf started flipping through the pages of the massive book, and finally found what he was looking for. Virginia, Tony, and Wendell leaned over his shoulder to read what he was pointing at.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER THREE  


  
_The Dwarves of Dragon Mountain are the only known makers of magic Traveling Mirrors in the Kingdoms. In all history, only three Traveling Mirrors have been made. The first two lead to a mystical land that some call Man Hat In. Several expeditions have been made to this magical place, and the explorers have never been discovered by the citizens there. _ _  
_  
Virginia looked up at Wolf.  
You never told me that.   
Keep reading.  
The book went on to describe, from a twisted point of view, New York culture. Then it came to what Virginia guessed Wolf had been referring to.   
  
_The third Traveling Mirror made by the Dwarves turned out to be a very serious mistake. The Dwarves had decided to try a different way of creating it; using the original recipe', but making a few small changes. These changes included, among several others- adding more quicksilver, the active ingredient in all magic Mirrors; using magic rain water instead of magic spring water; making the frame out of unicorn horn instead of the traditional Nethacon wood; and they also left it in the mold for a full year longer, 11 years instead of ten. The purpose of these changes was to perhaps cause the mirror to lead to a different dimension, if one existed.   
Apparently one does. When the Mirror was pulled out of the mold, instead of the magic buildings of Man Hat In, the Mirror's surface showed only whiteness. The Dwarves concluded that it was not working, but also decided that it was worth a try to travel in it. So a courageous Dwarf volunteered, stepped through the Mirror, and was never seen again. Other brave Dwarves, Elves, Fairies, and Humans, about twenty in all, attempted to enter the White Mirror, as came to be known, over the next few years. None returned. Eventually the mission was aborted, and the Mirror was hidden away.   
This was not the last to be seen of it, however. Five years later, directly after the Great Storm of 1774, young Prince Luke was speaking with his Uncle using a Spying Mirror. Suddenly, according to guards in the room at the time, the Mirror's surface turned white and the prince was swallowed into it, never to be heard from again. This horrifying event was only the first of many, happening over the next nine years.  
After the thirty-fourth disappearing, pressure was put on the Dwarf nation to use the master switch. This is actually a secret sign which consists of a selected Dwarf, whose fingerprints are on record, making a mold of his hand. This mold he would force through the Message Mirror, a Mirror designed specifically for that purpose. This procedure would be a signal for all magic Mirrors to be shut down by creating a very loud sound, which would, in a sense, shock' the Mirrors into an unconscious' state. The Mirrors are unusable only temporarily, one week exactly.   
The Dwarves decided that this course of action was necessary, to make time for any glitches in the system to be worked out. During this one week's time, now known as the Dark Period, (for communication is, of course, very difficult without Mirrors) the Dwarves also decided to take care of the White Mirror for good. It was obviously causing all the trouble, although how is still unknown. They uncovered it from its hiding spot, disabled it, and threw it into the Great Northern Sea. It has never interfered with any Mirrors again. _   
  
Until now.  
Virginia's head was spinning. It was all too much, too quickly. She remembered vividly now, seeing that momentary whiteness just before she lost Patrick. It was the White Mirror. And no one who went through the White Mirror ever returned.  
A pensive silence covered the room.  
Why didn't it take Virginia, too? Tony asked. Virginia could hear him perfectly now, but she didn't even care.  
It must have entered that particular Mirror right after she went through it, but Patrick was still inside. Anyway, that doesn't matter, Wolf said, his voice very tired. We need to go to Dragon Mountain.   
Tony stammered. Why? What's there?  
The Governor said to come quickly, Wendell explained to him patiently. We need to go to discuss this matter. It's very serious business and we cannot simply go rushing into an _adventure_ like we did the last time. He said with disgust. I'll arrange for a carriage and we'll depart immediately. Wendell strolled out of the room, hiding very well the panic Virginia knew must be there.  
I liked him better when he was a dog, Wolf muttered.  
Um, maybe I'll just stay here, Tony suggested loudly.  
Wolf asked.  
Well, uh, me and mirrors, you know, I think I'm quite notorious back there....  
Dad, that was a long time ago. Besides, we're the ones who saved the Nine Kingdoms, remember? They forgave you, Virginia told him.  
Yeah, well, I'm also the one who broke one of the magic Traveling Mirrors, remember _that _? Not to mention I knocked over those-  
  
Come on, Tony, what's the worst that could happen?  
I don't want to think about it.  
The Dwarves' grudges are not the worst of our problems, Virginia interrupted.  
There was a faint rumbling under their feet, and then the entire castle seemed to jump. Virginia and Wolf both looked at Tony.  
Right. Well, I'll just go check on the building process before we leave then. Tony eagerly hurried out the door.  
Virginia frowned as she watched him leave. What will we be able to do when we get to Dragon Mountain? she asked Wolf fearfully. This is more than serious, isn't it?  
Wolf admitted, But that doesn't matter. We'll find him.  
He's just a baby, you know, Virginia whispered, her bottled up emotions finally rising. She leaned into Wolf, and he put his arms around her.  
We'll find him, Wolf repeated, steadfast.  
Would they find him in time?   
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER FOUR  


  
Are we there yet? whined Tony from his seat up by the driver.  
Dad. I'm not going to tell you again. I_Shut. Up._/I Virginia growled between gritted teeth.  
Excuse me? Who is the father and who is the daughter here?  
And who is the King who can have the manservant thrown into the mud? Wendell said dryly. Virginia got the impression he wasn't joking.  
  
Can we open a few windows? Wolf asked, exasperated. We have to take a hundred mile trip in one of these stuffy carriages, just when I was getting used to those cars. _  
_ exclaimed Wendell suddenly, ignoring Wolf. I just remembered. This is very important, everyone listen closely.  
Tony swerved around in the driver's seat, and Virginia and Wolf leaned forward.  
We will be passing through the Sixth Kingdom on our way to the Ninth, Wendell said. In the Sixth Kingdom there is a sort of sub- kingdom.  
Oh, no, Wolf groaned. He knew all too well what Wendell was talking about.  
This kingdom, continued Wendell, belongs to Pinocchio.  
Virginia raised an eyebrow. She hadn't heard this before.  
The only thing you must remember about Pinochio's kingdom is that while you are in it you _must not _tell a lie.   
Gee, I wonder why that is, laughed Tony. _   
_ After Pinocchio the First became a human, he devoted his life to making puppets. But the Fairy and the cricket wouldn't have another bunch of naughty little puppet boys running around, so they gave them the same long-nose-if-you-tell-a-lie treatment that they gave Pinocchio. And then they figured, while we're at it, why don't we make the whole little kingdom full of people who never lie? So that's what they did, and now whenever you are within the borders of Pinochio's kingdom, you can't tell a lie. If you do, your nose will grow two inches every time. As you may have guessed, Pinochio's kingdom is sparsely populated, and those who do live there have unusually long noses. Wendell finished his history lesson and laid his head back against the satin pillows.   
Virginia was stunned. The Nine kingdoms never failed to amaze her.  
Wait a second, Tony said, How long does this nose thing last?  
Wolf answered him. There is some cure the trolls came up with (they'd need it), but you'd have to ask them for it. He laughed. Maybe you should just tape your mouth shut, Tony.  
Oh, really? Well-  
Entering Pinochio's kingdom now, your majesty, the driver announced.  
Maybe Wolf is right. Let's all just be quiet for a while, Wendell suggested. Virginia nodded. Tony glared at Wolf, who just snickered.  
Virginia pulled back the curtains covering her window. Outside, she saw farmers working in their fields. They stood up to watch the royal carriage roll by. Everything about this place seemed normal except that, as Wendell had mentioned, all the people had extremely long noses. She saw one man's nose that looked to be almost three feet long. It was kind of funny. Virginia wondered why these people didn't move away before their noses got too big for them to turn around.   
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the carriage wheels screeching to a halt. Everyone peeked out their windows to see a group of long-nosed villagers bowing to Wendell.  
Excuse us, your majesty, one of them ventured, expressing the concern on all their faces, But would you be kind enough to tell us why our mirrors aren't working?  
The question surprised Virginia. She hadn't realized that just anyone could own a magic Mirror, but apparently this was the case.  
Wendell hesitated. If he told them that the White Mirror had awakened again it would cause a panic, and he didn't want that. But these peasants did not seem to have any intentions of leaving without an answer.  
The Mirrors, he began, his eyes straying to his companions for guidance. They all just shrugged. Well, I don't really know, but I assure you that - what?  
Wendell froze. Everyone was staring at him open-mouthed. It made him feel extremely nervous.  
What is it? he demanded.  
Wolf shook his head in disbelief. And I was _so_ sure it was going to be Tony.  
Wendell's eyes widened. He ever so slowly brought his hand up to his face. His hand touched his nose much too soon.  
Ahh! That's not fair! he said. I was going to tell them - um, sort of. I don't know' was just a figure of speech...or...something... He cursed. This was so mortifying! It was almost as bad as being a dog. In fact, this was worse because it was his fault and not his evil stepmother's.   
Everybody was looking at him, half sympathetically and half like they were about to break up into uncontrollable snickers. Wendell wished the carriage seat would swallow him up.  
_Oh, stop it_, he thought to himself. He was a king after all. _Just pretend nothing's happened. _ What are you all staring at? he demanded, a little more angrily than he had intended. We must get to Dragon Mountain. And you, he said, addressing the peasants, Don't worry about the Mirrors. They'll be on again soon.   
Yes, sir, they mumbled and went back to their farm work still as confused as ever, but now with barely-contained grins.  
Virginia, Wolf, and Tony each took deep breaths to keep themselves from bursting out laughing. Wendell glared at them venomously.  
Drive on! he ordered, and the carriage immediately lurched onto the road and they were on their way once again. Wendell quickly pulled the curtains across all the windows. The last thing he needed was any other royalty seeing him like _this.  
_

***  


  
Wolf watched the sun set over the Great Southern Sea. It was very beautiful, with all the oranges and pinks painted on the sky in a silently gorgeous symphony. And, to top it all off, it wasn't raining like it had been for so long in New York. Although nothing was the same with Patrick gone, he enjoyed the sunset. And every time he glanced over at Wendell, Wolf could hardly contain tears of laughter.  
Tony was snoring, propped up by the handrail in his seat by the driver. Virginia was also sleeping, leaning against Wolf's shoulder. The King was staring into space, obviously extremely humiliated by his three-inch nose. He looked like he was wishing it away with all the power of his being. Wolf swallowed his laughter and whispered to him, Shouldn't we stop for the night? It's getting dark.   
Wendell turned his face away from Wolf as he answered, Yes, of course. Where are we exactly?  
The Southern Sea beach road, Wolf said, consulting a map laid out on the opposite seat. Well away from Pinocchio.  
Thank God.  
Oh, look! said Wolf, pointing suddenly to a spot on the map and nearly waking Virginia, We're only a mile away from Cinderella's palace. I've never been there before.  
Wendell declared, We'll stay at Cindy's place for the night. Then his face twisted into an expression of complete embarrassment. On second thought, perhaps we'd better not....  
Oh, Wendell, Cinderella is one of the Five Women Who Changed History, said Wolf, exasperated. And she's 201 years old. She's been around enough to know that that stupid Pinocchio curse could happen to anyone. And more importantly, I'm not sleeping in this carriage.  
But you have no idea how humiliating this is! Wendell pointed at his nose, not wanting to touch it. It _was_ kind of revolting, Wolf thought, trying so hard not to laugh.  
I would think being a dog is as humiliating as it gets, Wolf answered, not hiding his disgust for dogs.  
Wendell sighed. I'd have to agree with you there, but I'm certainly not enjoying this. He gestured toward his nose again.  
Wolf tried to look sympathetic, but it came out as a snort. Wendell narrowed his eyes at him, but looked out the window. Wolf did also.  
A little ways in the distance, they could see a large castle. It was not quite as big as Wendell's, which he had inherited from Snow White, but it was still very impressive. The towers and turrets were edged in blue, and the huge clock that was centered in the middle of the highest tower was just about to strike seven o'clock. Cinderella's palace was a famous place. It was the same one where Cinderella had gone to her first ball, the one where she had lost her glass slipper and met her prince. In the twilight, the palace looked eerie and welcoming at the same time.   
Wolf shook Virginia gently to wake her up and poked Tony not-so-gently in the back.  
Tony said groggily.  
We're about to arrive at Cinderella's palace where we _will_ be staying the night, Wolf explained, looking pointedly at Wendell, who just shrugged.  
Cinderella's castle? Virginia repeated in wonderment. You mean where Cinderella actually lives?  
That's the one, Wendell said dryly without looking at her. He was still staring dismally up at the castle, his head propped up with his hand.  
Virginia murmured, leaning out the window to get a better look.  
They were just arriving at the gates. The driver stopped the carriage, parking between two coaches that bore a striking resemblance to pumpkins. Wolf opened the door and helped Virginia out. His legs felt like water after so many hours of sitting. He was tired and hungry, just as everyone else obviously was. He hoped the initial greetings didn't last too long.  
Wendell strode up to the oversized doors, recessed in the towering walls of the castle, and banged the knocker twice. After a minute, one of the doors started to creak open.  
Queen Cinderella herself stood inside, flanked by two handmaidens. She wore an elegant dress that cascaded down to the floor in folds of shimmering orange, along with a crown on her head studded with priceless gems. Her face was creased with many wrinkles, mostly smile lines, but they seemed to compliment her naturally instead of being simply a sign of her very old age. And in her eyes was still the vitality of youth that her two hundred years could not steal from her. Joyfully, Cinderella's lips broke into a huge smile when she saw Wendell and the others. she exclaimed happily, and started walking towards them with her arms open. She faltered when she saw Wendell. His face was scarlet and his head was down, hiding his nose. Cinderella's momentary flicker of confusion vanished and she politely said nothing about it. Her smile disappeared, however, and she continued to welcome them.  
Do come in! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here on such little notice? You look exhausted! Just have your driver put the horses in the stable, that's it, love. Come, come, you must stay here tonight, I'll have the feast prepared right away! She herded them inside like baby birds under wings, and they lacked the energy to refuse anything she offered them.  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER FIVE  


  
Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting down in Cinderella's banquet hall at a huge banquet table, of which the five of them took up about one- tenth. Before them was a feast of more different kinds of foods than Virginia could ever hope to even try in one meal. Unfortunately, she wasn't hungry. In fact, Wolf was the only one who was really eating, after they had talked about nothing in particular for a few minutes.  
Cinderella said, addressing them all, You must tell me what brings you here. I have the feeling it's not just to visit.  
Virginia shook her head. We actually have very bad news. She paused and took a deep breath, and attempt at keeping her voice from cracking. Patrick is gone.  
Cinderella put a hand to her mouth in shock, and obviously had no idea what to say. Virginia continued in a voice that, despite her efforts, shook like a leaf in the wind.  
When we were coming through the Traveling Mirror, Patrick and I were last to enter. I was holding him, like usual, and then suddenly all I saw or felt was whiteness, all around me. When I went through the Mirror illusion, it wasn't an illusion any more. The room was deathly silent. Tony, Wendell, and Wolf were listening as if they'd never heard the story before. Virginia continued.   
When I looked back, Patrick was stuck in the Mirror. Then he disappeared. And, she whispered, we know it was the White Mirror because it turned white. That's why all the Mirrors were shut down.  
There was a deep silence for a time. Cinderella nodded to herself, as if all the pieces were coming together in her mind. Finally she stood. Looking at Wendell, then the others, she slowly beckoned with her hand a shadowy figure lurking in a corner that Virginia had not noticed before.   
When the figure emerged from the darkness, Virginia perceived a beautiful young girl. Her skin was white as snow, and she reminded Virginia of Snow White, but in a very different way. The young woman wore a light blue dress that caught the rays of light, bent them fluently, and sent them glancing off in white brilliance to all corners of vision. The gown billowed out behind her like a radiant cloud. In fact, the girl herself seemed to float on a cloud. She walked so lightly and silently that she seemed to glide. Her dark hair was curled and hung loosely around her shoulders. As she reached Cinderella's side and stood there obediently, Virginia was not sure what to think of her. Wendell's mouth dropped open.  
This is Acrotis, Cinderella told her friends. She is my special expert on magic, dwarf-wrought Mirrors. Perhaps she will be able to help you.  
Virginia looked at Acrotis expectantly. The girl did not seem to like all the attention. She looked up at Cinderella pleadingly.  
Oh, Acrotis, come on. You know a lot about Mirrors. In fact, you know most about Traveling Mirrors than any other kind, don't you? Cinderella asked, encouraging her.  
The young woman glanced at her audience nervously, and decided to speak.  
she said. Her voice was high and lovely, but actually had a certain edge to it. I do know much about Traveling Mirrors. They are the ones about which least is generally known, however. Of all Dwarfish Mirrors ever wrought, the White Mirror is the most dangerous. It is made of unicorn horn and the -  
We know the facts, Tony interrupted. We'd like to learn how to get my grandson back.  
Acrotis's expression changed from calmness to annoyance to anger and back to calmness in a split second as Tony spoke. She cleared her throat and continued.  
As much as I would love to help with that, I'm afraid there's really nothing I can do.  
Cinderella considered her, frowning.   
Acrotis cringed, and the motion transformed her eyes into delicate half-moons.   
Of course, you _were_ a witness to one of the last disappearings, Cinderella said pointedly. Virginia raised an eyebrow. Not many people can say that. You know more about this than anyone else here. This is important, girl, more so than any one of us can imagine right now. If that Mirror starts abducting people again, who knows how many will die this time? Acrotis, Cinderella ordered, suddenly with fire in her eyes, tell us what you know.  
Suddenly a bright bolt of lightning followed almost momentarily by an extremely loud thunder clap caused everyone in the room to jump up and look outside. The night was suddenly silver with rain that poured in through the open window and onto the polished ballroom floor. Cinderella quickly had her guards close and lock the windows. Everyone sat down again and listened to her apologizing, as if this sudden outburst of the heavens were some fault of her own.  
I haven't an idea where that came from. It's been raining for the last few nights, perhaps even a week, and just stopped a couple of days ago. It's never been quite that bad yet, but this'll be over soon too I'll wager, no need to worry....  
Acrotis hadn't moved. She didn't seem to have been at all surprised by the thunder that could have rivaled the awful scream of the Mirrors shutting down. She was simply staring into space, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, a very angry expression on her face. When she noticed everyone staring at her, Acrotis took a slow breath, relaxed her posture, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  
Wolf had to prompt her after a few seconds.  
Oh, of course, excuse me. I suppose I could take an educated guess at how to retrieve your son, Acrotis said reluctantly, her voice not quite so sing -songy as before. The best move to make now would be to get to the Mirror.  
The White Mirror? Virginia questioned, not understanding how this would help at all.  
Acrotis said, more to herself than anybody else. Then a slow grin spread across her face. Yes. Get to the Mirror and go through it! Acrotis seemed to think this was the most brilliant idea since Spying Mirrors. Virginia, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying this girl wasting her time.  
she scoffed. Go through the Mirror that no one has ever returned from alive, or dead for that matter, and just hope, _really hard, _that we'll be able to get back. Is that what we're saying here?  
Acrotis's voice was cold. Do you want to get your son back? she asked.  
Of course I want to get my son back! Virginia yelled with sudden anger. But how is getting ourselves killed going to help?  
Acrotis put her hands flat on the table and leaned closer to Virginia. Her voice was soft and menacing. Virginia wondered what had happened to the shy girl who had floated into the room a moment ago.  
The White Mirror's essence entered one of those Mirrors you were passing through with your son in the Traveling Mirror, correct? Acrotis asked.  
That's what everyone tells me, Virginia answered with just as much menace.  
And when you enter a Traveling Mirror you enter the world it contains, no?  
Virginia nodded, frowning.  
Therefore, your son is in the dimension that the White Mirror contains, and that is where you will find him. And the only way to enter that dimension is to enter the Mirror.  
Wolf was not at all satisfied. Okay, but that doesn't tell us how we're supposed to get out once we've gotten in. And how do you even know if there _is_ anything beyond? Our Mirror shows us New York on it's surface, the Whiter Mirror only shows white.  
Not to mention that it's at the bottom of the ocean, Tony muttered.  
Acrotis turned to Wolf. There is a world beyond. It is not possible to go through a Mirror unless there is something to get to. It is a basic law of Mirrors. And perhaps it only shows white because the land beyond it is white.  
Cinderella answered Tony's question. Magic breathing rings will allow you to swim to the ocean bottom by providing water and energy. I have none of those here, but the Sea People do. I'm sure they will lend you some. If this is really what you want to do, she added quickly, glancing at Acrotis.  
Virginia sighed deeply and turned to Wolf and Tony with sadness in her eyes. Did they really have a choice? It didn't sound as if there was any other way to reach Patrick. Virginia would do anything to get her son back, but this? This was trusting everything to a girl they had never met before, who lost her temper easily and didn't seem too happy to help them. Who Cinderella trusted.   
Tony and Wolf simply nodded. Virginia turned to Cinderella.  
Yes. We'll go.  
Cinderella smiled sympathetically. I think it is a good idea.  
Wendell piped up. Perhaps Acrotis should joins us, since she knows more about the subject than any of us. She may be of help.  
Virginia wasn't so sure about that, but she said nothing.  
Yes, I will be able to reactivate the Mirror once we reach it, Acrotis said happily, obviously glad she was able to go. Also, I can help when we enter the White Mirror.  
_How could she possibly help?_ Virginia wondered. But then again, she did know a lot about Mirrors. Maybe she just needed a chance.  
And now, Cinderella said loudly, clapping her hands, We must all get some rest. It is very late and you all have a long day ahead of you. I suppose you will stop at Dragon Mountain before heading on towards the Sea? It is a very long way to the Great Northern Sea, you know.  
They all nodded. Yes, it was a very long way. And when they got there it would be the beginning of their journey.


	2. Chapters Six - Ten

CHAPTER SIX  


  
Cinderella's guards led the four travelers to their chambers. Virginia and Wolf were to share a room and so were Wendell and Tony, since Cinderella had other guests and hardly any spare guest rooms. But when Tony remarked that there might not be enough space (what with Wendell's nose), Wendell had said and Tony got his own room. Virginia didn't know when her father would realize that Wendell's nose was a touchy subject.  
What do you think of Acrotis? Virginia asked Wolf later, looking up from a book she had found on one of the shelves in their room. It was on the history of mirrors.  
If she helps us find Patrick, she's fine by me, Wolf said shrugging. He was standing by another shelf, looking for books.  
She seems kind of strange, Virginia continued, and she was reluctant to help us at first.  
Acrotis' sounds kind of like a bug, Wolf said absently.  
Virginia laughed, Then she frowned. I just hope she really will help us.  
So do I. But what's the worst she could do? She's just a little girl. She looked like she was about fifteen.  
Cinderella said she'd hired her when she was very young. Maybe she kind of adopted her, too. And she also said she had witnessed one of the disapperings, Virginia remembered. She does seem to know a lot. That's probably why.  
Wolf nodded. You'd definitely want to learn as much as you could about the White Mirror if you saw a disappearing, he said as he began flipping through yet another huge book.  
Right. Well, we have a long way to go tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. Good night, Virginia said as she leaned up to give Wolf a kiss.  
Good night.  
Then she got into bed and fell asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. She dreamed.  
She dreamed she was in a purely white void that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Acrotis stood about twenty feet away from her and in her arms she held Patrick, sleeping peacefully. Virginia reached for him and tried to walk closer but she couldn't move. Acrotis stood still and silent, a small smile on her face. She held out the sleeping Patrick to Virginia, but Virginia still couldn't move any closer, though she tried like there was fire behind her. When Acrotis saw that she couldn't move, she sighed and shook her head. Then,with a very sad expression, she dropped Patrick. He fell right through the white floor next to her, fell further and further until Virginia couldn't see him any more, and she screamed and then couldn't tell if she was the one falling....  
She woke in a cold sweat, sitting straight up in bed. The room was pitch black. She found that comforting. Just as long as nothing was white.   
Virginia could hear voices across the hall. Cinderella and Wendell were discussing royal matters. She caught the word . She decided to go see how they were. She needed some conversation; she had never been so wide awake. Virginia pulled back the covers and slipped her feet into some slippers that were located conveniently under her bed. She flip- flopped over to the door and pulled it open silently.   
Light was streaming from a room a couple of doors down. When Virginia appeared in the doorway, Cinderella smiled and said kindly, You're up late.  
Cinderella could cheer up pretty much anyone. Virginia smiled back. Bad dream. Mind if I join you?  
Of course not, dear, come and sit down. Virginia walked over to a chair and obeyed.  
We were just discussing the troll problem, said Wendell with a sigh.  
Virginia put on a concerned expression.   
Oh, we wouldn't want to bore you with the details, dear, said Cinderella, but to sum it up, they're pushing for a war.  
asked Virginia. Dose it have to do with the three that kept chasing us? If it did then there was obviously nothing to worry about. Those were the three biggest fools Virginia had ever seen. They were surely no threat against a huge kingdom like Wendell's.  
I'm afraid it does, said Cinderella. Then, seeing the expression on Virginia's face, she added, In this case, we're not taking it lightly, and with good reason. King Burly, Blabberwort, and Bluebell were not at all pleased to learn that the Queen had been killed - Cinderella stopped. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it.  
No, no, said Virginia quietly, shaking her head. I've gotten over that, I understand now.... Virginia cast her eyes down to her white hands. Her mother. She hadn't let her thoughts stray to her for quite a while now. What would she think of all this?  
Virginia looked up and broke the awkward silence. So,why do the trolls care that the Queen was killed? She murdered their father, not me.  
We tried to tell them that, hundreds of times, Wendell said, But they won't hear reason. They say we are honoring a murdering traitor by letting you into our kingdom, or any of the kingdoms, in fact. They think you should either go back to the tenth kingdom' for good or surrender to the mighty troll nation'. They want revenge for two people now, Relish the troll king and the Queen.  
So this is all my fault? Virginia tried not to whimper.  
Unfortunately, no, Cinderella sighed. If it was only that, we could end this quickly, with some sort of bribe, threat, or compromise that would satisfy the little scoundrels. But there has always been tension between the Third kingdom and the Fourth kingdom. And, now, with the new leadership of Burly, the troll troops are elated. Relish did not exactly do well with the upkeep of his kingdom; the trolls' new leader has undoubtedly made all sorts of promises that involve expanding the troll nation. It's all our troops can do to keep them inside their borders.  
So Burly is getting them all psyched up for war, Virginia mused. But still, I don't see how they are going to cause any problem. They're all really quite dense, aren't they?  
Cinderella shook her head sadly. They're not the brightest creatures in the world, dear, but never underestimate them. They have powerful weapons and, worse, powerful allies.  
Like who?  
Like what, would be more accurate, Wendell said, pouring Virginia a cup of tea which she accepted gratefully. The giants have always been on good terms with the trolls, and so have the swamp pixies- I believe you've met some of them?  
Virginia said, remembering the three fairies that had given them tips in the swamp, and then had herself and Tony, in a very literal manner. She could see how those little devils were in league with the trolls.  
The trolls also have ties with the Sasquash, Cinderella said grimly, and Wendell nodded. Virginia had no idea what Sasquash were, so she asked Cinderella.  
Oh, you know, dear. Bigfoot.  
  
Very dangerous creatures, Wendell explained. Treacherous and powerful. They could pick up a soldier and throw him out of their way like a twig. And they're used to harsh conditions, living in the mountains.  
Virginia took a sip of her tea and glanced at Cinderella. She looked older than ever at that moment; the flickering candlelight caused her elegant wrinkles to cast shadows over her face. She seemed lost in thought. When she finally spoke her voice sounded tired, and she talked to Wendell as if Virginia wasn't there.  
I am certain that the trolls have already assembled the giants and the Sasquash. Acrotis showed them to me through her spying mirror. Pixies have been buzzing around for the past several days, not even trying to disguise their presence. They're getting bolder, Wendell. The Queen sighed. I cannot say exactly how many of them there are, but I do know that our enemy's army consists of thousands. How large is your army?  
Two thousand strong.  
You don't mean to say there's actually going to be a war? Virginia asked in disbelief.  
That's what we've been telling you, dear, Cinderella said with a patient smile before she turned back to Wendell.  
Two thousand. Unfortunately, my army has been hit with a measles epidemic, as I'm sure you've heard. Terrible; we haven't found a cure yet, magical or not. Consequently, I have only about one thousand men.  
There was going to be a war. Virginia coughed into her tea. She had thought Cinderella and Wendell were being melodramatic. But it was true. A war, and they were right in the middle of it. To make matters worse, the trolls seemed to have it more than good.  
I suppose we'll have ask Rapunzel the Third for assistance, said Wendell with a grimace. That woman aggravates me. She loves her hair and nothing else.  
Yes, but she has a sizable army, so don't insult her. At least not to her face.  
Wendell grunted and took a drought of tea as if he wished it to be something stronger.  
How could they be so casual about it? Excuse me, Virginia interrupted in almost a panic, But how exactly is this war going to affect us? I mean, is it going to stop us from getting to the Sea?  
Oh, no, no, no, Cinderella crooned soothingly. I'm sure this war will not reach the Northern Sea for a long time, if anything at all goes well with our troops. With Rapunzel's army we will have a few more men than the trolls do.  
This was somehow not comforting to Virginia. From what Wendell had said, a few men, a couple dozen maybe, might take down one Sasquash, a troll, and three pixies if they were lucky. They were still horribly outnumbered.  
Don't worry about it, love, Cinderella urged her after seeing the agonized expression on Virginia's face. We'll be taking care of this thing all by ourselves and you needn't have anything to do with it. You all have enough on your plates at the moment, what with finding that poor dear, without having to be thinking about this madness. Even you, Wendell, you concentrate on _your_ business for the time being, and that business is getting back the baby. I'm sorry it was even brought up.  
No, Cindy, I'm glad I know,Wendell said, waving away her apologies. I have a duty to my Kingdom as well as my friends, after all.  
Virginia thought about that as she took a small sip of tea and the other two fell silent. He had said it so seriously. With a pang of remorse, Virginia realized that she was reminded of a scraggly yellow dog less and less now when she was with Wendell. It was not that she disliked the change; she certainly hadn't wanted the King to remain under that curse forever. But something in the way he talked now brought to her heavy emotions of changing times, and she didn't deny a sense of loss. She wondered now what her life would have been like if that dog hadn't knocked her off her bike one night. She found it too much to wonder about, and stood up.  
Thanks for filling me in, Virginia said to Cinderella and Wendell as she placed her half-empty tea cup on a table I wish you luck with this war. If there's any way I can help, just let me know, but I think I really must be getting back to bed. We have a long way to go tomorrow. See you in the morning.  
Good night, Cinderella and Wendell said in unison, and Cinderella added, I hope you don't have any more bad dreams.  
_So do I_, thought Virginia as she said good night and padded back to her room. _Because I certainly have more bad thoughts to make nightmares out of now._  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER SEVEN  


  
Virginia had woken up with a horrible headache and it had taken her a few minutes to figure out where she was. When she realized that they were in Cinderella's palace and they were going to Dragon Mountain to get advice and provisions from the Dwarves and then swimming to the bottom of the Great Northern Sea to get to a magic Mirror that they would then go through and hope to find Patrick, she wanted to close her eyes again and cover her head with her pillow. Instead she got up and fifteen minutes later she, Wolf, Tony, Wendell, and Acrotis were standing outside the palace getting ready to leave.   
The atmosphere was grim, despite that it was a beautiful day. Acrotis was not at all grim, however. In fact she was bobbing up and down with excitement, much to the annoyance of everyone else. Acrotis obviously did not get out much.   
They five of them had been planning to take the tiny carriage, albeit unhappily. But Cinderella, who was out to wish them farewell, suddenly had an idea.  
Flying carpets? Tony laughed, as if she must be joking.  
They're almost four times as fast as a horse - drawn carriage, and trust me, they're perfectly safe. I use them myself whenever possible.  
That's very generous of you, Virginia thanked her. Where are they?  
Cinderella whistled and seconds later, five small, beautifully woven and very fast little carpets zipped up in front of each of them. They were each woven a different, rich color; Virginia's was a bright green.  
I don't think so! yelled Tony as the others climbed on to their carpets.  
Fine, Dad, stay here. Virginia tried to sound indifferent as she sat down cross-legged on the carpet. It was actually very comfortable.  
If you're chicken, Wolf added, hopping onto his deep blue carpet.  
Tony shot him the look of death and tentatively climbed on his rug. He lay down on his stomach, gripped the edges tightly, and squeezed his eyes shut.  
Wendell and Acrotis climbed on and Wendell called to Cinderella, Thanks Cindy, for everything. Everyone else called their thanks.  
It was a pleasure, she called, smiling. Oh, Wendell, don't forget to talk to Rapunzel.  
Of course not, Wendell said, and rolled his eyes.  
So, how do you steer these? Wolf asked.  
I've already told them to take you to Dragon Mountain, Cinderella said. They understand. When you get there, the Dwarves can help you. Just whistle to start them.   
The air was suddenly thick with whistles and carpets zipping away as Cinderella yelled, Goodbye! Good luck!  
And then they were gone, flying over the treetops to Dragon Mountain and an unclear future.  
  
I need to get one of these carpets, Wolf said, flying up from behind Virginia.  
she groaned, hanging her head off the side. Personally, I'm going to be sick. She leaned all her weight to one side to dodge a high tree. They had found that they could steer by leaning to one side, although if they wanted to turn around, it was impossible. Dead ahead was Dragon Mountain, although they couldn't see it yet. Suddenly, Virginia was forced to duck as Acrotis's scarlet carpet grazed the top of her head.  
Watch it! she yelled for the hundredth time.  
Acrotis shouted back.  
Yeah, right, whatever, Virginia growled to Wolf. He smiled.   
They heard a moan and looked over at Tony. He was gripping his carpet so tightly his knuckles were turning white and he was lying down very flat. His eyes were screwed shut, so the others had to scream warnings at him when there was a large tree or cliff face he was about to crash into. Tony was the only one who looked sicker than Virginia.  
Wendell, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, even though they were on a serious mission. He wove in and out of the trees, flew upside- down and was generally a pain to Virginia, whether he intended that or not. Still, Wendell wasn't nearly as bad as Acrotis. Virginia had thought the girl was rather irritating when they started out on the journey. After three hours of non- stop flying, she was infuriating.  
Wolf sped ahead as the five of them reached a steep hill. They had passed some mountains on their way, but had not seen Dragon Mountain yet. However, they were flying pretty low. They hadn't flown over Kissing Town or any other town for that matter, because they were coming from he opposite direction than they had a year ago. Nothing looked familiar to Virginia until they crested the top of the hill.  
Dragon Mountain loomed in front of them. It took Virginia's breath away as it had when she'd first seen it. Even though she had a completely different vantage point, the mountain was unmistakable. It seemed to radiate power, majesty, and ancient knowledge. Its snow-capped peak reached into the clouds and its rocky base looked just as impossible to climb as before. This time, luckily, they wouldn't have to climb the rugged mountains base.  
Come on! Virginia yelled to the others. There was no time to waste. Tony managed to open his eyes, and they sped upwards and to the side, where the entrance they had used before was; the one with the dragon's skull leading into darkness. When they spotted it, the five of them swooped down and hopped off their carpets.  
There was no one in sight. The huge head of the dragon sat in front of them, its gaping mouth lined with three-foot long teeth. Virginia stared down into the blackness and took a tentative step over the bottom tooth of the skull. Everyone else followed, each of their carpets hovering close behind them. Acrotis was jumping up and down with excitement.  
They soon reached a Dwarf slide: a fifty-foot-long laundry chute which Tony called a dragon feeding trough. Virginia wasn't too keen on sliding down the narrow piece of metal but she didn't know any other way down to the mines. She certainly didn't want to get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels again.  
I'll go first, Virginia said. She took her carpet from its place, hovering obediently behind her, spread it out on the slide, and sat on it. She took a deep breath and pushed off. Stalactites (or stalagmites, she could never tell which) that were hanging from the ceiling forced her to duck her head or be decapitated. She shot downward and would have fallen on her face when she reached the bottom, but her magic rug zipped around and caught her.  
_Smart carpet_, she thought as she hurried out of the way. Wendell came down next, followed by Wolf, Acrotis, and finally Tony. All their carpets caught them as well.  
I like these things, Wolf declared as they set off again.  
They went down one more slide without much difficulty, and when they got to the bottom there was only one more passage to turn into.  
When they entered the main Mirror-making chamber that Virginia, Tony, and Wendell had stumbled into a year ago, the sight could not have been more different. Back then, the Dwarves had been working at many different stations, boiling vats of quicksilver, rolling wheelbarrows around, and they had even pulled Wendell's Truth Mirror out of its mold. Now it was dark and gloomy and Virginia had to squint to see. The Dwarves were doing pretty much nothing. They stood or sat around in little groups, some whispering, some just staring. They all looked very grim, as if any thought that was not utterly desolate had been wiped from their minds. None looked up as the five travelers and their carpets entered.  
Is that the Governor? Tony whispered. He pointed to a large desk on a platform where a blond Dwarf sat with his forehead resting directly on the wood in front of him.   
I think he's dead, Acrotis murmured. She had stopped bouncing.  
He's not dead, Virginia snapped. Actually he could have very well been dead, except that he momentarily raised his head and waved half-heartedly at them to come over. They hurried to the desk, sidestepping lethargic Dwarves and tripping in the dark. Tony fell on his back with a muffled _oof_ as a tiny Dwarf foot stuck out into his path. Apparently the Dwarves had good memories.  
Glad you could make it so soon, the Governor said and smiled a bit weakly as they approached. Sorry it's so dark, he added. Our Mirrors produced most of our light, but of course they're off now because of the shut-down. Everything is. My men have nothing to do all day except worry that the White Mirror will take them next. The Governor lowered his voice. I reassure them, Wendell, but there's little more I can do. If we don't do something about this quickly, I don't like to think what will happen. But in any case, why are you....? The Governor stopped suddenly, and his brow furrowed.  
Wendell, what in the Nine Kingdoms did you do to your nose? He leaned forward to get a better look.  
Wendell started hurriedly, we came to you for some _help_. We would have been here sooner, but we stopped at Cindy's.   
Ah, yes. And that, I suppose, is why you travel with her Mirror expert. Acrotis, isn't it? the Dwarf asked, eyeing her.  
Acrotis smiled.  
So, why are _you_ here?  
I'm coming along to help them when they get to the White Mirror because I'll be able to reactivate it so we can go through it.  
There was a very pregnant pause, during which the Governor turned several shades of a pale color. Finally, he croaked, That isn't funny.  
It isn't a joke, Wendell replied matter-of-factly. Why shouldn't we go through the Mirror?  
Why shouldn't you? the Dwarf cried in disbelief. That's the most idiotic question I've ever heard! Why do you think we _de_activated the Mirror in the first place? Because it was the worst mistake in Dwarf history! I'm not about to let it happen again.  
But Governor, Wendell tried to explain, The Mirror is already partly reactivated. Their son, he motioned to Wolf and Virginia, has been abducted. You must realize that this is the only way-   
To do what? the Dwarf demanded loudly. To get yourselves killed? To endanger more lives? Really Wendell, I had thought you had more sense than to bring all this into the mix at a time like this, when the Fourth Kingdom needs you the most....  
The Fourth Kingdom is defenseless without Mirrors. You of all people should know that! Wendell argued. I need to do this, for my country, and my friends.  
But nothing will come of it! There must be other ways to do this than to fling yourselves into that death trap.  
What do you suggest? asked Wendell coldly.  
The Governor froze and stood motionless, one hand on the desk, one in the air, his eyes searching for something Virginia couldn't see. Finally he sat down in a deflated sort of way.  
What makes you think that you can get out again when no one else could? he asked, as if in a last attempt to speak reason into them.  
Maybe no one came back because they liked it there so much. Acrotis's voice surprised everyone.  
the Governor asked, bemused.  
That place where everyone must go if they step through the Mirror, Acrotis explained as if it made perfect sense that the world beyond the Mirror was some sort of paradise.  
said Wendell, gazing sadly at Acrotis.   
  
  
  


CHAPTER EIGHT  


  
It was odd to think that the plan she had so much opposed just a day before, Virginia was now defending with everything she had. The Governor refused to help them reawaken the monster, but he provided the five travelers with a place to rest for the night. The Dwarves _did_ have the power to stop King Wendell from reactivating the Mirror. They made them, after all, and Wendell was not their King; he ruled the Fourth Kingdom, while Dragon Mountain was the Ninth. The Governor had decided however, that no matter how little he liked it, Wendell was right. He had said it himself: something needed to be done.   
What the five travelers had come for was advice, but the proud Governor would only give them a useless piece of it: I would strongly advise you come back here being able to say that _noon_ was abducted because of you insanity. Otherwise, you had better not come back at all.   
And good luck with that nose, he had added tartly to Wendell.  
Uneasy sleep would have been a blessing to Virginia. Instead, she lay on her back stiff as a board with her eyes wide open. She wondered now how she'd managed to get the only bed the Dwarves had to offer. Everyone else was asleep on the rocky cave floor, tiny Dwarf blankets pulled over them. Virginia supposed it was because it was her son that was lost, her baby. A little bed was small consolation for that, she thought bitterly. Then she reproved herself. A pity party would get her nowhere fast.  
She shifted awkwardly. What had Snow White thought of sleeping in a miniscule bed like this? It hit her suddenly that Snow White was just a few minutes away. Her cavern of ice was somewhere here, in Dragon Mountain. If only it hadn't turned to rock.  
Sleep was not coming, so Virginia silently crept out of bed. She was doing more and more of this. The carpet zipped up to her, coming up under her hand. She put a finger to her lips for the carpet's silence and stepped slowly over Wolf's head. He didn't stir. She wished he could come with her, stop her form going out alone into the dark tunnels. Somehow, though, she knew she would do this on her own. She hopped onto the carpet and urged it out into a dimly lit corridor.  
Flying was so much faster than anything else, it seemed. She loved it, and she had come to anticipate the carpet's little jerks and turns when she didn't expect them, as though the fabric had a mind of it's own. After a while she was sure that it did. She wasn't guiding the carpet at all, yet after five minutes of flying blindly, Virginia found herself in the strikingly familiar cavern. There was no ice, no snow, just rocks, an especially large one sitting in the middle of the room. Snow White's ice coffin was gone, but Virginia knew that _she_ wasn't gone at all.  
She flew over to the large rock that had once held Queen Snow White. She slid off the carpet and placed her hand on the bare stone. It was cold as ice.  
How did you live with those Dwarves? she murmured.  
Bad memories fade.  
Snow White's voice came from everywhere at once, and yet maybe it was only inside Virginia's head. She wasn't startled. She had expected it.  
Virginia, you are afraid.  
Virginia smiled. Wouldn't you be?  
You fear what will help you and ignore the real danger, Snow White's voice said gently.  
Could you just tell me in real words, please? No one else will help us, no one else cares...  
That's not true. You have many friends. But remember, Virginia, you also have many enemies. You must hasten to the Mirror.  
I know. Virginia stared down at the stone. A tear fell on it and turned to ice. First my mother, now my son, Snow White. What will I do?  
Your son will not die, Snow White said firmly. He is not even in immediate danger. But you must be quick. Peace will not last long now.  
Virginia realized she was talking about someone other than her, something bigger than even getting Patrick back. She couldn't imagine what that could be, but Snow White seemed to know. She was also not going to explain. Virginia climbed back on the carpet.  
Oh, and Virginia, Snow White's kind voice called out to her. Perhaps you could convince the others to cut Wendell a break, hmmm?  
Virginia laughed. It echoed off the walls and came back to her sounding as weak as she felt.  
I'll try, she promised.  
Virginia could feel Snow White's voice, her spirit, or whatever it was, receding from her consciousness, but something comforting of it was left, and would always stay.  
I will watch over you, and then she was gone.  
Virginia paused, not wanting to leave, to go back to the dark room, the others. To face it all in the morning.   
Thank you, she whispered, and swooped out of the room. The black halls suddenly didn't seem so menacing.   
  
  
They woke early. Rather, Virginia woke early and kicked the others mercilessly until they got up. Most of the Dwarves were still asleep, so they had no trouble leaving. And since the Governor had wanted them to leave as soon as possible anyway, they found no reason to say goodbye.  
They flew almost non-stop through the day, resting only for meals that Virginia cut very short. She seemed to the others to have a renewed sense of energy, which she did. The others didn't know it, but Snow White's words had awakened her and made her realize that the only way to get Patrick back was to go and find him. And that was exactly what she was going to do.   
The sun set and still they flew on. They were headed due North, toward the sea, so they had a lot of Kingdoms to pass through. It was strange to see everything they'd seen a year ago, now from up high and in the dark. They had passed Kissingtown, Little Lamb Village, and the Disenchanted Forest. A shudder rippled through everyone, even Acrotis, when they passed the Evil Queen's ancient castle near the river. The Third Kingdom, looming in the distance, was not anything to fly through at night. The bean forest grew so thick and tall that Virginia couldn't see anything above or beyond it. It seemed darker than the rest of the Kingdoms. They decided to rest for the night and try it in the morning.  
Curled up under their carpets and the stars, the five travelers fell asleep quickly, even Virginia. She woke up only once during the night, to see Wolf next to her, staring into space.  
What're you looking at? she whispered.  
The stars, he answered. They're the same here as in New York, you know.  
Virginia hadn't known, and it surprised her. She had never really thought about it.  
What does that mean? she asked.  
I don't know. He was silent for a while. Do you think-- he paused. Do you think Patrick can see them?  
That was another thing Virginia hadn't thought about.   
she said, but she didn't know why.  
He turned to her and kissed her. Me too.   
  
When will this end?! Tony demanded of the group as they sped through the beanstalks early the next morning. Weaving in and out of the stalks was not fun, to say the least, but there was no alternative. They couldn't go over because as far as anyone knew, there was no over. The beanstalks reached into the clouds and when they tried to go up through the clouds, it didn't end. Nothing ended here. It was starting to seem like one infinite tangle of smelly leaves and stalks. And then it stopped.  
They pulled up just in time. Spread out in front of them was the entire troll army.  
A field that had to be more than a mile square was completely covered in trolls. They were tall, smelly creatures, outfitted in scraps of leather and heavily armored. And there were not just trolls. Sasquash, huge hairy animals that looked like furry trolls, were scattered around, leaning over smoldering fires and strange meat off bones. The nasty little pixies flitted about above everyone's heads, many carrying swords that were much too heavy for them. There were also at least five giants. They were not as big as beanstalks, but twenty soldiers would not be a match for one. It was a horrifying sight. The five zipped back into the beanstalks.  
What. The. Heck. Is. That, Tony emphasized hoarsely.  
That is worse than I thought, whimpered Wendell.  
Virginia was shaking. You said it was bad. You didn't say impossible! Were you counting on one man verses one giant? One Sasqaush? That isn't going to work.  
You know about this? whispered Wolf.  
I'm going to die! Tony whined pathetically.  
Acrotis looked around at them all reprovingly. Come on! We can't panic.  
Watch us.  
No! All we have to do is get to the Mirror. That's what we came to do.  
Sure, to get Patrick, Tony said. But that won't help this... He stared at the troops with a horrified expression.  
Still, that's what we have to do, Virginia said. Hadn't she told herself that she would NOT get involved with this stupid war? It was Wendell's problem, not hers. This was Wendell's _universe_, not hers.  
Wendell frowned. He again looked like the king he really was, even with his nose. Virginia felt the same pang of pity for him. But that didn't change her mind.  
The Governor is right, even though I have preferred to ignore it up until this point, Wendell sighed. My kingdom needs me. This army will not stay here for long, and I can guess where it is going next. I'm sorry, he said, turning to his companions, but I must return to the Fourth Kingdom. There will be a war, and I must make sure we do not lose. King-like though he was, Wendell seemed pitiful enough with the backdrop of the troll army. Overcome, the others could only nod.  
This is our parting, then, he said, turning his carpet around. I will see you soon. When you come back, don't wait for me. Go straight into the castle and back to Man- Hat- In, and I will contact you there when I have the time and Mirrors to do so. Don't worry, he added, smiling. They're just trolls, after all.  
They smiled bravely for him and wished him luck. Then Acrotis did something that no one expected. She kissed Wendell on the cheek.  
Um, thanks, Wendell blushed brilliantly. Good luck to all of you.  
He sped off and they lost him instantly among the beanstalks.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER NINE  


  
They were silent for a while, staring out over the troll army. Virginia would miss Wendell. There was something about having a king with you that gave you confidence.  
Finally, Wolf asked the inevitable. How do we get across?  
Virginia didn't know. It would take them an awfully long time to go around, because there were only fields surrounding the camp. The side they were on, the beanstalk forest, was the only place that offered any cover.  
Acrotis answered, looking up at the sky. We'll go through the clouds.  
They're too high, Virginia protested.  
There are different types of clouds, Acrotis explained. These seem to be just above where fog would appear. The carpets can go that high. It's not half a mile up.  
Tony almost sobbed, but Virginia accepted it as a good idea. Without another word, she sped upwards. She clung to the carpet as it flew almost vertically into a cloud. Acrotis was right. It wasn't that far.  
Virginia was enveloped in swirling white mist. It was thick, and she could barely make out the forms of the others as they arrived near her, even Tony. She started off again in what she desperately hoped was the right direction. She couldn't see the ground. It was strange to think that there were hundreds of trolls and other monsters beneath her. Virginia just hoped she didn't run into the head of a giant, but she knew they weren't that tall.  
Acrotis flew past. She seemed so excited again that she was just barely containing herself. Virginia flew up to her. If she was going to have to live with Acrotis much longer, maybe she might as well try some conversation.   
What's it like living with Cinderella? Virginia asked after attracting her attention, or what there was of it at least.  
Acrotis shrugged. Typical teenager. Fine. She's nice.  
Do you know who your parents are? Don't answer if I'm being rude, Virginia added awkwardly. She didn't want to offend her.  
Yes... but I don't remember them, the girl said, eying Virginia. They died.  
I'm sorry. Virginia shifted uncomfortably. My mother's dead, too.  
  
Acrotis didn't seem to want to talk anymore, and Virginia didn't either, what with where the small talk was headed. She urged the carpet on.   
The cloud was thinning out. They had been flying slowly for about twenty minutes, not wanting to all burst out of the cloud at once over a group of trolls. Now they slowed even more. They emerged from the cloud one by one, as to not attract attention. When they looked back, the army was far behind and below them.   
Thank God, cried Tony. They're gone. Now we can all go kill ourselves in peace.  
Virginia couldn't help laughing. It _was_ ironic.  
They dropped lower to the ground. There were some trees scattered around, but they didn't add up to a forest. Wolf said they were still in the Third Kingdom. There was only one more small kingdom to go before they got to the sea.   
For Virginia, the wait was endless, and the others could hardly keep up with her. When she finally sighted it in the distance, Virginia streaked toward the sea at breakneck speed.  
There was no denying it was beautiful, the most beautiful ocean in any world, Virginia's or the Nine Kingdoms. It was a perfect fairy tale ocean, blue and clear. The sun sparkled off the surface of it like the sea was a field of diamonds. It was all the more beautiful to Virginia because somewhere inside was Patrick.  
They descended onto the beach. It was early evening, and a tiny twinge of orange was beginning to form around the sun. Virginia realized that she hadn't eaten since yesterday.   
Now for the magic breathing rings, Wolf said to keep them all on task.  
Yes, where are those Sea People' anyway? Tony asked, looking around. Not that I really like the sound of magic breathing rings' any more than I like the sound of magic carpets.'  
Acrotis hushed him. She pointed out across the sea. Virginia followed with her eyes.  
A tail disappeared into the water.  
Oh, don't tell me _that's_ a Sea Person? Virginia almost groaned. She had envisioned little tribes of people living _by_ the sea, not in it.   
Why am I just _not_ surprised? Tony inquired.  
The mermaid, as Virginia saw from behind the safety of her carpet, was swimming onto the shore. She was a young girl of about Acrotis's age, with long brown hair intertwined with sea reeds and a green tail. She sat in the surf, swishing her fin with a huge smile on her face.  
she cried happily, though her voice was croaky. Virginia assumed it was probably from always using it underwater. My name is Raelee, and Cinderella sent me here to take you to Eulonia. She coughed violently.  
The company on the beach simply stared in bemusement for a second, but Raelee didn't seem to expect an answer anyway.  
I brought you your rings.  
She grinned and held out to them four beautiful gold rings. Virginia looked at them, but didn't take one.  
How did you know we were coming? she asked. Virginia realized later that it might not have been the most polite thing to say at that moment, but again Raelee was undaunted.  
Cinderella sent a water nymph ahead of you. She thought it might be nice if you had someone waiting for you, so you wouldn't have to go out in a boat or something. Raelee giggled, but her laughter soon turned into a coughing fit and she had to duck under the water to clear her throat.  
she said as she resurfaced. So anyway, here you go. Underwater breathing rings. Just slip them on a finger and you'll be able to breathe. She coughed. Virginia cautiously took a ring and handed the rest to the others.  
The rings will also give you enough endurance to swim all the way to Eulonia, Raelee went on. Humans just wouldn't be able to make it otherwise. They'll let you see underwater when we go too deep for light. And, very importantly, they'll protect you from the tremendous force of water pressure pushing down on you as we get closer to the bottom. Otherwise, every bone in your body would be crushed to dust. She smiled and coughed almost simultaneously.   
Virginia suddenly did not feel well. Very soon, there would only be a thin band of metal standing between herself and a gruesome death.  
So you don't need one? Wolf asked.  
No, no, of course not.  
Hold on, said Tony. What's Eulonia anyway?  
Our underwater city, Raelee explained. I guess in your world you would call it the Lost Continent of Atlantis, or something. Our famous Queen lived there during the Golden Age, Raelee said proudly, and coughed. She was known only as the Little Mermaid.  
The Little Mermaid? repeated Virginia. But she's a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, not a Grimm.  
Raelee smiled. She was always smiling. It was very annoying. Where do you think he got all _his_ stories from?  
No one had an answer.  
Anyway, we should get going, Raelee continued. The Queen expects us back in an hour. She coughed and ducked under the water again, then resurfaced.  
Virginia wasn't sure about this at all. Swimming to the bottom of an ocean had seemed easy enough from a couple hundred feet up in the air. Now it didn't. The only thing that made her slip the ring onto her finger was the thought that Patrick was closer with every minute that passed.  
What about the carpets? Wolf asked.  
Oh, well, I suppose you won't be needing them anymore, will you? Raelee giggled. They don't like water very- _cough_ - much. The nymph Cinderella sent said that you could leave them up here for when you come back. They'll know what to do.  
Virginia could have sworn her carpet made an indistinct nodding motion before it sped away with the others to find someplace it would be comfortable in. She suddenly felt very vulnerable.   
Follow me, Raelee said. She dived under the water and came up again a few yards away, waving at them.  
Acrotis was the first to walk into the water. Virginia followed, ignoring the sudden cold piercing her body. But then something strange happened- she could feel warmth spreading into every inch of her body, starting with the finger that the ring was on. She also felt instantly that she could swim, swim, swim, and never stop until her baby was in her arms. Adrenaline filled her, and this feeling also originated at the ring, sweeping through her. She wasn't aware of much else but the urge to move.  
Virginia dived under the water with a great splash. Wolf and Tony followed, the rings obviously having the same effect on them. As Virginia's lungs began to ache, she tried to take a breath. Water filled her mouth, but as it went down her throat it turned to air, and she exhaled bubbles. It felt very strange, but her mind was still not focused on anything but swimming, much less something as simple as breathing. _Why was I worried about it in the first place?_, she wondered vaguely.  
Before long the shore was far behind them, and above them also because they had dived so far under. Virginia was sure to keep Acrotis in sight since she was following Raelee. The ocean started to become darker as the water filtered out the light, until Virginia could not see her hand in front of her face. Then the ring's power kicked in, and her vision came back to her. But at the same time the water was getting heavier, and Virginia felt as though if she were pressed any flatter, she would become two-dimensional. Then the great weight was lifted.  
Virginia swam as fast and as hard as she could. The city was close. She could feel it.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER TEN  


  
There was a bit of an uproar from the inhabitants of the Fourth Kingdom when King Wendell flew into his palace through a window on a flying carpet. The entire kingdom also breathed a sigh of relief. They had their king back now, no matter how hopeless a king he was with his extended nose. Even with the war looming over their heads, everyone in the Fourth Kingdom had good laugh about that.  
But Wendell didn't even notice. He was consumed by planning and plotting out what in the fairying forest he could do about the trolls.  
The Council of the Nine Kingdoms met the day Wendell returned. They assembled in Wendell's palace almost as soon as he sent for them. They traveled from all over the Nine Kingdoms by magic, and everyone was there except the little Fairy Queen of the Eighth Kingdom and...  
King Burly! The Governor of the Dwarves shouted as he banged his little fist on the table. These outrageous actions of his will bring us all down in the end. Why if I had him here now, I'd give him a piece of--  
Queen Cinderella shouted from her seat at the head of the table. I think we should all quiet down and focus. This is a civilized meeting. Wendell, perhaps you should describe to the council what you saw. It may give all of us a realistic view of what we are dealing with.   
Wendell jerked up in his seat. He had not slept in twenty-four hours and it was beginning to show.   
Oh, well, yes, that. It was not what I expected, nor what any of us really expected, not in these numbers anyway. There were hundreds, thousands, of them. Wendell paused as a murmur rippled through the group. They were lightly armed, but I assure those of you who have never seen one, that a Sasquash does not need armor. Nor does a giant, and there were more than a couple of those.  
Some members of the Council seemed to be losing hope already, so Wendell decided not to go on to tell them all about the flying elves. Or that something else that he had seen, and not told Virginia, Wolf, Tony, or Acrotis about. The fire.  
said Cinderella cheerfully, we knew something like this would happen. Since the death of Relish, the entire Third Kingdom and the nearby lands in league with them have been restless. It was only a matter of time. Now we are all the more prepared. She looked around for nods of approval, but received none.  
Queen Rapunzel of the Fifth Kingdom spoke up. I'm sorry to say that you are wrong, your Majesty, she said with something less than humility in her voice. My kingdom lies farthest away from the Troll's. I did not see, and still do not see, the need to prepare _my_ kingdom for anything. The troll regiment will certainly not come that far, and you seem to have them pretty much under control. She spun her long, golden hair around a finger while she talked, as if she would like to tie all the kingdoms around her finger, too. At least it looked that way to Wendell.  
Ah, but there _you_ are wrong, Rapunzel. Not for the first time during the council, Cinderella looked on the verge of anger. The trolls are a major threat. It is obviously hard for everyone to believe that, because they never have been before. But this time it is gravely serious. You all know the great expanse of the wild northern lands, where the Sasquash roam freely and no sensible creature ever ventures.  
They nodded. Queen Riding Hood spoke.  
The trolls have never been a threat before because they have always been so power-hungry and argumentative that they would never ask or accept help, at least on the battlefield. Now that Burly has, unbelievable though it may seem, asked help from the Sasquash in the northern lands, as well as from giants, they could very well overcome all our defenses.  
Unless we, too, band together, Wendell cried with all the enthusiasm he could muster.   
The Governor eyed Cinderella before he spoke again. he muttered. True. But even then, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to defeat them.  
Please, Governor, Cinderella said, exasperated. At least try not to be so pessimistic. We are planning a war here and your premonitions of death make it so much more difficult.  
I'm not being pessimistic. I'm only trying to be realistic.  
Queen Riding Hood frowned at him. Giants and trolls and a couple of Sasquash-  
And pixies, Wendell offered, a bit miserably.  
And pixies, the Queen acknowledged, rolling her eyes, are a worthy enemy, true, she said. But surely all our armies together can defeat them.  
Ah, if it were only that, the Governor murmured mysteriously. Now he was looking straight at Wendell. Wendell tried not to meet his eyes.  
What _are_ you talking about? Cinderella inquired impatiently.  
The Governor smiled mirthlessly. It was a smile that implied that some important information was about to be imparted. The entire Council was breathlessly leaning over the table to hear what he was about to say.  
he said. They have Dragons.   
  
  
_Arms out, to the side, back in, out. Legs out straight, bend, kick. Arms out, legs out, to the side, bend, back in, kick, out._ This was all that was going through Virginia's mind as she swam through the long dark ocean. It was all that anyone could focus on, except for Raelee, who was not under the influence of magic breathing rings. She was awake, and could lead them all to Eulonia. The rest of her company was in a daze, every portion of their energy directed on powering them down through the miles of deep black ocean.  
Virginia was only aware of herself again when she found herself floating over Eulonia. She snapped back to her strange reality with a start as she took in the amazing sight. The Lost Continent of Atlantis sparkled and sprawled out before them into the distance. Although shrouded by the dark ocean pressing in on it, the city itself was bright and alive. It was situated on rolling underwater hills, and every building was a different color, making the city look like a rainbow of shades. Merpeople swam in and out of oddly-shaped dwellings, and little finned children played in the streets. Raelee had led them to a point far above the city, from where they could see a large palace constructed of something that must have been coral. It wasn't far away, and Virginia knew it was their destination.   
As they swam toward it, Virginia hung back until Wolf caught up with her. She was afraid of the strange city underneath them. It seemed to be alive, always something moving whenever she glanced down. It _was_ alive, kind of, she supposed, because everything was made of coral.   
Do you think the Mirror is here? she asked Wolf. It was odd talking underwater because bubbles continuously came out of her mouth.  
I have no idea, he admitted. I guess if it's in the city at all it will be in the castle. He looked up at the huge building, which was much closer now. In fact, Raelee, who had gone ahead of the rest, was already using the oversized door knockers to announce their presence.   
They quickly caught up with her just as the ridiculously large doors swung open. Acrotis eagerly went through first and the rest followed.  
They were in a large hall without any furniture (can mermaids sit down?), lit with an awful looking substance sitting in little trays along the length of the corridor. It was a florescent goo, and it looked to Virginia like it was alive. She was beginning to wonder if everything in this city was organic.  
As they swam further in, Raelee spoke for the first time since they had entered the ocean, which seemed like days ago. At the end of this hall is the throne room, where our current Queen is awaiting you. She was no longer coughing, thankfully. I am the Queen's trusted advisor when it comes to humans and other land creatures, she proclaimed, swelling with pride. That's why she sent _me_ to get you. She knows why you have come because of the water nymph Queen Cinderella so graciously sent ahead of you. However, she also knows what a risk you are taking in going through the Mirror, a risk that could endanger us all.  
Acrotis looked like she was about to protest, but thought better of it.  
Is she going to allow us to use it? Virginia asked, fearing the answer.  
Raelee said, but with amusement in her voice that made one wonder. We have come up with a way for you to get to the Mirror, get in, and hopefully get out with no consequences to anyone in Eulonia. A rather brilliant idea, actually. She beamed. If I do say so myself.  
Are you going to tell us what it is? Wolf asked.  
Wouldn't you like to hear it from her majesty herself? Raelee asked, almost teasingly.  
Wolf agreed. Actually, I'm not sure I want to know, he whispered to Virginia once Raelee had turned to knock on the doors, if _she_ cooked it up.  
The doors at the end of the hall pulled open just like the main doors had. The group entered a large room, also bare of furniture and lit with the strange lights. This room, however, they noticed with a sharp intake of breath, was decorated all along the walls with countless numbers of shells. It was amazing, looking up and seeing a sky of colored shells, woven, almost, like on a tapestry into scenes and patterns that a person could spend days tracing with their finger and trying to understand. Virginia stood, or swam in place, rather, for almost a full minute, mesmerized by it. Then Acrotis tapped her on the shoulder. They were moving into the room, toward a the throne that Virginia hadn't noticed before. Sitting on it, or trying, with difficulty, to sit on it, was the Queen of the Mermaids.


	3. Chapters Eleven - Fifteen

CHAPTER ELEVEN  


  
She stared at them with expressionless eyes. She was tall, much taller than Raelee, and had long golden hair. This was almost as decorated with the beautifully colored shells as her throne room was. The long mermaid tail waved back and forth as she stared at the strange humans who had just entered her palace. Virginia felt very uncomfortable just standing (swimming) in front of her. There was something piercing about the lovely Queen's stare. To ease her nervousness, Virginia bowed and everyone else followed. This seemed satisfactory to the Queen, and she got up and swam gracefully over to them.  
she said, nodding toward them slowly. We have been waiting for you. Raelee did an excellent job bringing you here, I see.  
Raelee beamed. Virginia rolled her eyes.  
So, you want to get to the Mirror, hmm? the Queen asked.   
Yes. Your Majesty, Virginia thought of adding, a little too late.  
I suppose that can be arranged. I wasn't going to let you, you know, but Raelee came up with something.  
Raelee beamed again. The Queen seemed not to notice.  
You're good friends with King Wendell, aren't you? the Queen asked.  
Sure are, answered Tony, acting almost as proudly as Raelee. I'm building him his very own new palace.   
Bouncing palace, laughed Wolf quietly.  
I'm glad, the Queen smiled. All I ask in return for my services here is that you mention them to him. His debt might come in handy one day. She chuckled softly. Virginia could not make out whether she liked the Queen or not. She seemed a dangerous mix of power and beauty. Virginia would just have to wait and see.  
I don't mean to be rude, Acrotis interrupted, blatantly impatient, but when are we going to the Mirror?  
Good question, my dear, the Queen said, turning her eyes with interest Acrotis for the first time. One that is soon to be answered, I assure you.  
Virginia listened intently.   
The White Mirror is not in Eulonia. It is at the very bottom of the sea. You may think this is the bottom, but there are many different levels of land in the ocean. The Mirror is at the deepest place known to any merperson. The dwarves planned it this way. They wanted nothing to ever be able to reach the Mirror. Therefore, the Queen said, They hid it in a place not even a merperson could swim to.   
Panic began to creep into Virginia's mind. _If the Mirror's at the bottom of the ocean and a merperson can't reach it, then who can?_  
the Queen continued, and Virginia started to relax, There is always a loophole. Those who are wearing the magic rings that you yourselves have on your fingers are able to swim so deep that even light is sucked into the water. It is like a black hole down there.  
Wouldn't the Mirror be crushed? Wolf asked.  
No, most Dwarf Mirrors are made to withstand incredible forces put upon them. Some, though, do not have that power. I think you, she said, gesturing toward the red-faced Tony, know that best of all.  
But even for this there is one exception. There is a creature that _can_ break the Mirror with its incredible strength, strength even greater than that of the entire ocean. I'm going to send this creature with you to the Mirror.  
Even greater, in Virginia's mind, than the question of what this creature could be was,   
No matter how much you want to get your son back, the Queen explained with compassion in her voice for the first time, You must realize that the Mirror has taken people into it, and those people have never been seen again. They are as good as dead. If you go through it, it will be activated again, and that could make it, I don't know, blood thirsty somehow. I'm sorry, she said as Virginia started to protest, but I can't take the chance, none of us can. Even Cinderella has agreed to my plan.   
If, after you enter the Mirror, there are disappearances elsewhere, the Queen said, then we will know it has started again. The creature I'll send with you will stay by the Mirror until one of two things happens: You come out of the Mirror, or we get word that there has been a disappearance. If you come out, good. The creature will escort you back to Eulonia. If there is a disappearance, the Queen looked at them as if they were going to try to bite her head off, then the creature will break the Mirror.   
Virginia was stunned. It wasn't, her mind was telling her, an unfair thing to do. It was a smart, rational thing to do, actually. But it was the first time that she had realized how much trouble they were in. Even to Virginia's ears, the Queen's explanation of their plan seemed suicidal. No one had ever come out. Why were they being so arrogant to think that they could, when so many others had not?  
Uncomfortable silence. It was clear enough. They would live, or they would die. Virginia accepted it. There was only one question left, and Tony asked it for her.  
What's the creature?  
said the Queen, actually smiling. I think you know her.  
We do?  
  
She's Nessie. The Loch Ness Monster.   
  
It _was _indeed the Loch Ness Monster. It was roaming the ocean as they spoke, the Queen explained while they swam down a different corridor than the one they had entered the throne room from. The merpeople could contact the creature with what seemed like some kind of primitive sonar. The Queen had called it to come earlier, So she should be here any minute, she told the white-faced group following her.  
They came out of the coral palace through a little door facing the broad expanse of underwater land behind Eulonia. It looked like the surface of the moon, the edge of the watery world.  
Isn't it going to kill us? Tony asked for the hundredth time.   
No. Nessie is very tame. There's nothing to worry about, trust me.   
No one believed her. Even Raelee looked slightly worried, and was very glad _she_ wasn't going to be joining them.  
Virginia peered fearfully out into the blackness. _Swim,swim,swim_. The ring kept pulling her toward the Mirror, even though she didn't know even the way. It was all she could do to restrain herself from shooting off in some random direction. The little rounded piece of gold on her hand felt heavy as years.  
As she was straining her eyes, Virginia saw something. The water was clouded, and she couldn't be sure if she was really seeing anything. But soon she knew her eyes weren't deceiving her. Out of the mist two amber orbs appeared. They were attached to a head that could not have housed a grapefruit sized brain, but the head, Virginia saw with mounting panic, was attached to a neck. The neck was longer than Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and Acrotis all strung together. This was frightening. But what made Virginia's blood turn to ice was its body. Ten thousand tons. That was an understatement. It was huge. It took Virginia's breath away, as if she had just seen all the water on earth combined into a wave that was about to crash down on her head. That's how they all felt as this monster came out of the mist toward them.   
Its tail was as long and thin as its neck, and the only way one could tell the two apart was by the relatively tiny head attached to the front end, the only small thing about Nessie. She was a gray color, and her skin looked scaly, slimy. Virginia was terrified.  
the Queen shouted happily and swam over to the colossal beast. I've missed you so much! She scratched its chin like the monster was a dog. A big dog.  
Nessie blew bubbles out of her nose almost affectionately. Then she stared at Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Acrotis as if she wanted them to pet her, too.   
Tony was beside himself. It's... gonna...eat...us...  
Come on dad, Virginia said shakily, Patrick, remember? Focus. She was telling herself as much as him.  
The Loch Ness Monster came slowly over to the group. No one moved a muscle.  
Nice monster, Wolf murmured soothingly.  
Nessie, to Virginia's great misfortune, turned its head toward her. Virginia tried very hard not to catch its eye, for fear of it being like dogs or monkeys; offended what stared in the eyes. She decided just to squeeze her eyes shut.  
Nessie stuck her face so close to Virginia's that, had she not been underwater, the hot breath of the beast would have caressed her face. As it was, Virginia could feel a stream of bubbles against her cheek. She slowly opened one eye.  
The monster's amber gaze did meet her own. There was something in it, Virginia realized through her horror, that was intelligent. And not evil intelligence, either. Something in the monster was aware, and caring even. She saw all that in Nessie's eyes, in one glance. She was instantly beginning to see how much of a plus ten thousand tons of protection could be.   
  


CHAPTER TWELVE  


The council sat in silence for what could have been an eternity. It was over, then. If what the Dwarf said was true, it was all over. The Trolls would take over the Nine Kingdoms. The Trolls, the laughingstock of the Kingdoms, would be their downfall. They were all about to go jump off a cliff when the Dwarf said...  
But, there's still hope.  
I believe that statement contradicts your last, Wendell said wearily.  
The trolls have dragons, yes. But there is more than one type of dragon.  
So they have lots of dragons, Queen Riding Hood said, throwing up her hands. The entire council groaned.  
the Governor said impatiently, Listen. There are good dragons.  
Some of them lifted their heads off the table to hear.  
A very long time ago, Dragon Mountain, my home, was crawling with dragons. Then, one by one, they left for the Northern Lands, for reasons we still haven't exactly figured out. It was probably because our mine was using up all the quicksilver, which dragons love. But the point is they left. All of them.  
The good and the evil? the Ice Fairy Queen asked.  
The evil, or chromatic, red' dragons had left a long time ago. We forced them out. They were eating Dwarves, and that's extremely annoying when you're trying to make Mirrors.  
I can imagine, Wendell said.  
Anyway, the good, or platinum, gold' dragons helped us get rid of them. They were kind, intelligent creatures. The red dragons were smart, too, come to think of it, very clever. But headstrong.  
Both types of dragons could talk to us, but only the gold dragons did. The red considered themselves above speaking to us tiny little dwarves. They were horrible creatures. He paused thoughtfully. They _are_ horrible creatures. They're still very much alive.  
How do you know that the trolls have them? Cinderella asked.  
I saw them, the Governor answered simply. I was taking a trip just before the council was called. What with the Mirror shutdown, he rolled his eyes, there are plenty of panicked people out there, wondering why their Mirrors don't work. I had to go and assure them that nothing's happening... Falsely assure them, I might add. He glanced meaningfully at Wendell.  
In any case, he continued, I had to pass near the troll camp. Of course I didn't know then that it was their camp, did I? No, so I practically stepped on a dragon. I got out of there fast, of course, and _I_ was about to call the council, when I got word to come here.  
The dragons must have been in the tents, Wendell told them. That's why we didn't see them. We were coming from the air, and we didn't look too long.  
Yes, they were in the tents, the Governor said. Red dragons don't like sun. That's why they loved our mountain so much, and why they moved on to the cold, dark Northern Lands when we forced them out.  
But what about the gold dragons? the Ice Elf Queen asked. They're still up there, near our kingdom in the North.  
the Governor smiled, They're not.  
Well, where are they then? Wendell asked.  
At Dragon Mountain, waiting for us.  
Why didn't you tell us this before? Cinderella shouted.  
The Governor cringed. I didn't want to alarm you.  
_Alarm _us? How much more alarmed did you think we could get? Cinderella controlled herself. Fine. That's good news, I suppose, if they're willing to fight.  
They are. If you like, I can bring them back here tomorrow to speak with the council.  
Cinderella said patiently, Don't you think that - how many dragons are there?  
About fifteen.  
Don't you think that about fifteen dragons all flying toward Wendell's palace in the middle of the day would be rather conspicuous?  
the Governor said with equal patience, but that's not what I was planning on.  
Then how else did you plan on getting them here?   
Gold dragons can shape shift.  
The general moral was increasing by the minute.  
Into anything at all? Wendell asked.  
Just about anything, the Governor said firmly. Anything alive, that is.  
What -er- form will you bring them in tomorrow, Governor? Cinderella inquired.  
he muttered, I haven't really thought about it. They've told me several times that insects are simply too degrading. I suppose dogs. The dragons'll like that; dogs have teeth...  
And these gold dragons, Queen Riding Hood said, Are definitely on _our_ side?  
Yes, certainly, the Governor assured her. They never think twice about helping those in need, especially those as small and helpless as ourselves. But out of politeness, I've promised them their own section of Dragon Mountain, where the Dwarves will never mine the quicksilver again, as a reward.  
Cinderella looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time. Thank you Governor, she said seriously. The Kingdoms owe you a debt for this.  
I know, he said gruffly.  
  
  
No one had exactly warmed up to Nessie (and they probably never would), but they were beginning to tolerate her presence after an hour of swimming along side her. Luckily it was dark, even with the light of the rings, and they couldn't see her very well.  
Virginia, Tony, Wolf, and Acrotis had left behind Eulonia, Raelee, and the Queen what seemed like days ago, though it was probably only two hours. They were swimming at an incline, gradually going deeper and deeper into the center of whatever kind of planet the Nine Kingdoms resided on. They could only stop when there was nowhere left to go.  
The rings had claimed their minds again, and they were all but conscious as they descended into the depths of the sea.   
Much later, something brought Virginia out of her trance. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, like waking up in the early morning and not knowing what woke you. She could see a faint light up ahead. Actually it was down below, in a little crevice.  
Acrotis put on a burst of speed and shot toward it. She gave a slight cry when she reached the glowing light, and pulled back in surprise.  
When Virginia came up to it, she was breathing heavily. She knew what was in that rock crevice. They had traveled for almost a week to reach it, the hardest week of her life. She had waited for this moment for so long. Now she was terrified.  
The White Mirror lay in its watery grave, untouched by any living being for long dark years. It gave off an eerie glow like no other magic Mirror Virginia had seen. This Mirror had something different about it, a strange aura. It was the frame itself that was glowing, not the Mirror's face. This frame, unlike the Traveling Mirror in Wendell's palace and the one Tony had broken, was white. What had the text book of Wendell's told them, so long ago now? That it was made of unicorn horn, not wood. There were intricate patterns carved into it, of snakes and butterflies mostly. _An odd combination,_ Virginia thought. There were other patterns too, but so twisted around each other that she couldn't make out what they were. It was beautiful, Virginia couldn't help but notice through her terror.  
The Mirror did indeed have barnacles upon its head as Gustav had told them.   
Its face did not show white, only rust-covered glass, also covered in barnacles. There was nothing else alive around, because nothing else alive could go that deep. Nothing except four very scared people and something twice the size of a dinosaur.  
What now? Wolf whispered. They all felt like whispering. There was something almost sacred about the place.  
I guess- Acrotis stammered, I guess I have to activate it.  
Virginia asked.  
Acrotis didn't answer. She motioned for the others to help her turn over the Mirror. Reluctantly they all grabbed it at once and heaved the surprisingly heavy Mirror onto its back. The Loch Ness Monster watched silently.  
Acrotis stopped and closed her eyes in thought.  
You had just better remember, Tony warned her, Because I am NOT going all the way back up there--  
There's a latch around here somewhere, Acrotis interrupted, as she began running her white hands all over the back of the Mirror.  
The others helped, but Acrotis found it first - a little cord that she pulled to reveal a compartment with a keyhole in it.  
Do you have the key? Wolf asked.  
No. But, she added to silence the flood of angry protests, I don't need one. Why do you think Cinderella really sent me with you?  
Because you knew how to activate it, Virginia said.  
Anyone could find that latch and stick a key in it. But it doesn't work like that. It's just like the Governor's hand mold; the Mirror works the same way. With fingerprints.  
Virginia breathed. Why hadn't she thought about that before?  
Acrotis reached into the little compartment, and simply but carefully lifted the little keyhole out. It actually wasn't a keyhole at all, just a little piece of metal with a key-shaped hole in it on top of a tiny ink pad.  
It's a decoy, Acrotis explained. Someone could spend years looking for a key, when what they really needed was a person. The Dwarves thought of everything. But it still got them in the end. She sounded almost proud. Of what? Of the Dwarves?  
Stand back, Acrotis ordered. They did, quickly. Acrotis moved back also, but stayed close enough to reach into the Mirror and, as everyone held their breath, press her finger onto the sensor.   
A blinding flash of light lit up the landscape for a mile around. Nessie screeched and turned around so fast that it almost caused an earthquake. Virginia screamed, too, as the silent white light blinded her. It was the visual equivalent of the Mirror-shut down. Luckily, though, she could see again as soon as the light ceased.  
Virginia looked around her. Tony and Wolf were rubbing their eyes and Nessie was cautiously coming back toward them. She looked around for Acrotis.  
She was lying on the floor of the rock crevice, her dark hair spread out around her. She still had her finger on the Mirror, and the other hand over her eyes. Virginia swam over to her and helped her up. Acrotis rubbed her eyes,too, and looked up at Virginia , then over to the Mirror.   
Did it work? she whispered.  
Was that light supposed to happen?  
Yes. Help me turn it over again.  
They all went over and helped set the Mirror the right way. Now there were no barnacles or rust on its surface. The Mirror showed a pure white, glowing and pulsing and swirling on its surface. It was alive now. There was nothing in its way. Or their way.  
This is it then? Tony said. We live and get Patrick, or we die, and hope it's not too painful?  
That's right, Virginia answered bravely. Who wants to go first?  
Virginia had thought it would have been Acrotis, but the girl who had been so excited about this all along hid behind Tony. There were no other volunteers, not even Wolf. Virginia knew he'd go if she asked him, but maybe this was just something for her to do.  
All right then, she said with a deep breath. I guess the most sensible thing to do is for me to come back if everything's okay. If I don't come back right away... I don't know what you should do. Don't come rescue me or anything--  
Wolf said. We started this together, as a family. We're going to end it that way. We're all going in. You can just go first.  
All right,Virginia said. She didn't feel better at all, only worse. More than one person might die. She couldn't think about that now. What about Acrotis? Virginia asked. She has no reason to kill herself.  
Acrotis stared at them. You don't think I'm going to let you go in there by yourselves, do you? she asked, incredulous.  
No, I guess not, Virginia laughed.  
They laughed, but everyone knew they couldn't stall much longer.   
Virginia swam up to the White Mirror. She peered deeply into it, searching for a hint of her son; his face, his tiny hand, anything to reassure her that she wasn't killing herself for nothing.  
She wanted to hug her father, kiss Wold goodbye, but she didn't, forcing herself to think she'd see them again, in just a few minutes. Soon. And Patrick, too! Her baby.  
Finally.  
Virginia stepped into the White Mirror, as her life flashed before her eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER THIRTEEN  


  
The Council of the Nine Kingdoms went to bed in Wendell's palace that night with mixed feelings. Some expected their kingdom to be completely obliterated by the trolls and their allies, dragons or no dragons. Others were more optimistic, because after all, having dragons on your side is useful, right? It all depended on how it went over the next day.  
The Governor brought in an entire wagon-load of very quiet and well-behaved hunting dogs that next afternoon. He had driven with two other trusted Dwarves all through the night and the better part of the day to bring them from Dragon mountain to Wendell's palace. When they arrived at the front gate, the Governor drove the wagon to the stable, where the fourteen dogs quickly and quietly lined up in a row. Wendell and Cinderella themselves came to escort them into the council room.  
Servants peeked out curiously from each doorway as their King, Queen Cinderella and three Dwarves led a pack of dogs through Wendell's sparkling clean corridors. The hounds followed them with heads held high, padding along in a straight line. When they reached the room where the council sat with barely-contained excitement, Cinderella motioned the dogs toward a line of satin chairs near her end of the table. The dog-shaped dragons took them graciously, each bowing slightly to the Queen and Wendell as they took their seats. The council tried not to stare.  
Honored guests, Cinderella began slowly, addressing the dragons. We have been told by the Governor of the Dwarves and of the Ninth Kingdom that you have graciously and bravely agreed to help us in our fight against the troll nation. Is this so?  
The dragon/dog closest to Cinderella who appeared to be the leader answered. It is. His voice was incredibly low and deep as he spoke with the dog's mouth.  
You understand that the trolls and their allies are a worthy enemy, and there may be casualties on you part? Cinderella asked.  
We do, and are prepared to fight. The dragon spoke as if this was the only logical thing to do, as if he didn't understand how anyone could not fight for this good cause, even if it meant death.  
Then we thank you humbly and are at your service, Cinderella told him with a smile and a bow of her head. The rest of the council did the same. The Governor looked very pleased with himself.  
Still smiling, Cinderella asked the dragon, What may we call you?  
The dragon/dog paused. I have many names. I suppose you should call me Tamun-Ra. It is easiest to say in your tongue, I think. The names of my friends you need not know. The dragon gestured awkwardly with his paw to all the other dogs. A dragon reveals a name only when necessary.   
If I may ask, Tamun-Ra, Rapunzel said haughtily, What exactly are your battle plans? The troll army is very large, and you don't want to be taken by surprise when you actually get there, you know.  
Cinderella and Wendell exchanged a wince. Didn't the fool realize how important politeness was at this moment?  
Tamun-Ra was undaunted, however. The Governor has given us an idea of what we are fighting, he said in his deep, deep voice. We know that there are Sasquash, elves, giants, and red dragons in addition to the trolls. I have also been told that all of your armies together could perhaps defeat only the giants, or only the Sasquash, or only the trolls and elves, but you have no chance against all of them.  
The council nodded again, this time in regret.  
Now that you have us as allies, however, we will be able to fight for you.  
Not just _for_ us, Wendell said quickly. We will fight with you, of course.  
Of course, and that is appreciated and needed, Tamun-Ra replied.   
You still haven't answered my question, Rapunzel reminded the dragon as she began to braid her golden hair. Wendell wanted to bang his head on the table a couple of times. She was braiding her hair in front of the dragons in the council of the Nine Kingdoms!  
Our specific attack plans have not yet been devised, the dragon answered patiently. I admit that the troll's army is impressive and it will be difficult for us to defeat them. But we gold dragons have several magical abilities that red dragons don't even know of. I would demonstrate, but obviously I cannot demorph inside the confines of your castle. Tamun-Ra nodded toward Cinderella respectfully.  
What are some of these abilities? Queen Riding Hood asked.  
We can be shielded from the red dragon's fire breath, put up a cloud around our enemy to confuse them, create a globe of invulnerability, or use fire blasts or chlorine gas that can temporarily blind another dragon, among other abilities.  
Rapunzel smiled widely. So you could basically wipe out an entire troll regiment with one breath.  
Not quite, Tamun-Ra said slowly. It is true that we could cause great damage to the army if we tried. We could kill most of them. We could massacre them. The dragon paused, his black dog ears twitching. But it is against our law.  
Our law-making body, the Council of Wyrms, and our good king Bahamut have forbidden it, Tamun-Ra told her. We must not kill those who cannot defend themselves against us. It is law, and we will follow it. His intelligent dog eyes silently dared them to disagree.  
For once Rapunzel didn't speak. Cinderella answered him, We understand and respect that, Tamun-Ra and dragon friends.  
Thank you, the leader of the dragons replied. And now, with the council's consent, we would like to retire for the night. Tomorrow you can start to bring in your troops, and, if it pleases your majesties, we shall all meet again soon.  
The entire council agreed and stood up to applaud the dragons, their last hope.   
  
She saw nothing at all. Virginia didn't know if she had been passed out for hours, or if she had walked through the Mirror only a minute ago. All she knew now was that everything was white.  
She didn't seem to be standing on anything. She wasn't in water either. With that thought she looked down at the ring. It wasn't needed anymore. And it was so heavy. She slipped it off her finger.  
She couldn't breathe! She inhaled air but there was no oxygen in it. The air was so thin, and yet so humid.... Gasping for breath, Virginia fumbled to put the ring back on her hand.  
She took long, deep gulps of air and held a shaking hand to her neck. Maybe she was too high up. The atmosphere was thin.... She didn't want to think about it. The ring would never leave her finger again as far as she was concerned.  
Virginia looked again at her surroundings, or what there was of them. She was standing (no, not standing - more like floating) in a thick mist. She reached out and grabbed a fistful of the swirling steam. It simply flowed through her fingers and was gone. The idea occurred to her then, that she was in a cloud.  
Am I dead? she shouted, frustrated, into the nothingness. If this is heaven, I'm not impressed.  
She stood in the mist for awhile, wondering what to do next.   
It's not heaven, a voice said from her right.  
Virginia jerked suddenly and then realized that the mist she was standing on was slippery. She fell with a thud. A thud?  
It's a force field. The voice came again, as shimmery and elusive as the mist. It was a woman's high voice, and it sounded very young, like Raelee or Acrotis. Virginia edged to her left. The force field was like a glass floor beneath her.  
We've been waiting.  
Virginia was silent. It made her very uncomfortable hearing a voice and not knowing whom it belonged to. The invisible speaker didn't go on, however, so Virginia hesitantly answered.  
Who's   
I can't give you a name, the woman said passively. But we are the reason you came.  
I came to find my son, Virginia yelled in sudden anger. Enough games. Where is he?  
  
It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming. Patrick was near her and he wasn't in her arms? Bring me to him!  
You want to see him now? the strange voice asked.  
Stupid questions! Of course!  
The mysterious woman paused. The silence was infuriating.  
I suppose that's all right. Follow me.  
Virginia cried, trying to get up from the slippery floor. How can I follow you? I can't even see you!  
The voice laughed, not unkindly. You'll get used to not seeing people around here.  
Then slowly a figure emerged out of the mist. A tall, slender girl walked toward Virginia. Her hair was just like Acrotis's, black and slightly curled. Her eyes were sky blue, like her long dress. Her skin was pale and ghostly white, but not like Snow White's skin at all. And yet, this girl didn't look evil or wrong in any way. Why had she taken Patrick?  
Come on, Virginia.  
Virginia was startled. How do you know my name?  
I know more than your name. I also know that someone who loves you is about to come through that Mirror right about....now.  
Wolf stumbled through nothing onto the force field, slipped, and landed on his back all in one quick motion. Virginia ran over to him and helped him up.  
he cried. You're alive! He paused. Are you? He glanced around for the first time. Are we in heaven?  
I hope not, Virginia murmured and hugged him tight. He's here! she whispered urgently.  
Wolf tensed and looked around. Where? Did you see him?  
Not yet. The young woman spoke. Wolf stared at her.   
he asked with narrowed eyes.  
We should wait for everyone, don't you think? The girl smiled at him as if their situation amused her.  
Did you tell them to come right away? Virginia asked Wolf quietly.  
Yes. There was no use waiting around. Tony should be coming next.  
As if in reply, Tony appeared in front of them and went sliding across the force field with his arms flailing. Virginia broke his fall.  
Sorry, sorry. Oh, you're alive! Tony squeezed his daughter so tightly that Virginia couldn't breathe.  
Get off! Patrick's here.  
Tony jumped up and would have fallen down again, but Wolf caught him.   
Where? And who's she? Tony looked at the girl for the first time.  
We don't know either of those answers right now, Virginia told him as the young woman smiled at them.  
Okay, let's go, Wolf said.  
What about Acrotis? the girl reminded them.  
Tony started. How'd you know her name?  
She knows us somehow, dad, Virginia explained.   
They stared at the girl, who just smiled back for a few long seconds. Then Acrotis appeared.  
She didn't slip. She didn't fall. And when she had fully come out of the Mirror and into the mist, she slipped the ring off her finger.  
Virginia screamed. You shouldn't! It's too--   
But Acrotis didn't even notice her words. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. And when she opened her eyes again, she looked up at the mysterious girl and smiled.  
Virgnia's mind was in slow motion. Acrotis couldn't know the girl. Acrotis couldn't breathe up here. Because Acrotis was a young human girl and she lived in the Nine Kingdoms. Yes, that was the truth and what was happening was wrong.   
Acrotis's voice was cold as her smile. I never thought I'd see _you _again.  
You shouldn't be here.  
Forgive and forget, Lorelei. It was a long time ago.  
Two hundred and twenty-eight years. An instant. The girl named Lorelei lowered her voice and narrowed her eyes.  
Was it only that long? Time passes so slowly down there.  
It doesn't matter. You've brought them. Now you can go.  
Acrotis's smile slowly turned into a frown. This isn't the warm welcome I expected from my sister.  
You shouldn't have expected anything! Lorelei shouted. Traitor! Go back to where you belong!  
I don't belong anywhere.   
Leave now! Or I'll call the others!  
For the first time a flicker of fear crossed Acrotis's face. All right, she whispered. All right. I'll go.  
Lorelei's body trembled with hatred. That is wise.  
Acrotis turned around quickly and her eyes seemed to feel for the Mirror. She turned back to the frightened Virginia before she left.   
I'm sure my sister will explain everything to you, but I want to warn you not to believe everything she says. She calls me a traitor, Acrotis's voice cracked with anger, But she doesn't know it all. I wouldn't care what you thought, but it matters now. What you and your son do matters now. Decide for yourself.  
With that Acrotis stepped through the Mirror and was gone. Virginia, Wolf, and Tony stood stunned. Lorelei fumed with her fists clenched. And somewhere far off, a baby cried for his mother.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER FOURTEEN  


  
Virginia was scared. She was so scared and confused that nothing else seemed to matter. At this point, she found herself thinking about the strangest things. Events that happened a long time ago- or what seemed like a long time ago- come back to her mind vividly. As she stood there in the mist, staring into space, she tried to sort it all out.   
Acrotis was some kind of alien. They had been traveling with her for days without knowing it. Her sister lived in the Mirror. She had taken Patrick and called Acrotis a traitor.  
That was what Virginia was trying to digest, but her thoughts wouldn't focus on it. She was thinking about the night they left New York. The power went out. She wondered why she hadn't been worrying about that. It had seemed like such a big deal then. They had walked through central park in the incessant rain, with Patrick. He was sleeping so soundly. Virginia involuntarily smiled. His little fist curled up, stuck in his mouth. _He was such a good baby. He hardly ever cried..._  
Wolf nudged her gently, and Virginia blinked the tear out of her eye. Wolf's face was pale and he didn't say anything. Tony stood silently. Virginia saw Lorelei, Acrotis's sister (no, that couldn't be true.... but it was) standing in front of them. She slowly unclenched her fists and took several deep breathes. Then she turned toward Virginia, Wolf, and Tony with sadness in her eyes. Virginia was afraid to hear what she had to say.  
I can't -- Lorelei stammered, fighting back some horrible force within her. I can't explain it to you now.... I - I have to bring you to the boy.... With a moan Lorelei crumpled to the floor, buried her face in her hands and sobbed.  
Virginia hesitated before trying to comfort the girl. What if she simply blew away with the mist when she touched her? Virginia wasn't sure of anything anymore. Nothing could be assumed, no one could be trusted.   
But this was different. She bent down on her knees and helped the very solid girl to her feet. Tony and Wolf helplessly let her lean on them while she tried to choke back her sobs. They didn't know what else to do. They didn't know much of anything right then, Virginia realized slowly. Whose side were they on?  
Lorelei straightened up and took a shaky breath to steady herself. Virginia stayed close to be able to catch her if she collapsed again.  
I'm sorry, Lorelei apologized softly. It's just too much, seeing her again now. I should have been ready, but.... She trailed off again, and shook herself to concentrate.  
It's okay, Virginia said quietly, soothingly.  
Yes, it will be, Lorelei nodded. But now you need to see your son.  
Virginia's whole body tensed. _Yes I need to see my son! Why have been standing here so long?_ Wolf shifted impatiently next to her, and Tony nodded vigorously.  
First, I must tell you that there are more than one of my kind. Patrick is with him, in good hands.  
Virginia wasn't too surprised. She had figured that the girl wasn't a completely solitary creature in this lonely abyss.  
You mustn't be afraid, Lorelei said slowly, when you see him. He isn't like Acrotis. Her voice grew cold then, and something alarmingly like hatred flared in her eyes. Neither am I.  
She turned abruptly and they had to hurry, trying desperately not to slip, to keep up with her and not get lost in the mist.  
  
They walked for a long time, each person keeping the back of the other in sight. It was a rather boring trip because there was literally nothing to look at except the inside of the cloud. Virginia had convinced herself by then that it was a cloud. First of all, what else could it be? No place on earth had this much fog. Okay, the Nine Kingdoms weren't exactly earth and she didn't know for certain that there wasn't an area in the Kingdoms that was perpetually foggy. But her second reason was the breathing problem. The atmosphere was definitely thinner here, and the most logical explanation for that was that they were very high up  
Not paying much attention to her surroundings again caused Virginia to be very surprised when they finally reached their destination. She didn't know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't what she saw before her as Lorelei came to a stop.  
Buildings, streets, and towers stretched up far into the sky, their peaks lost in the cloud. It was an entire city, with shops and meeting houses and apartments. It looked an awful lot like Manhattan, actually. Except that it wasn't real.  
Actually, that wasn't precisely true. It was real, but in a different way. It wasn't solid. No, it had to be. _How could anyone live in the buildings otherwise?_, mused Virginia. But the material- something - that the houses were made of was translucent, and it shimmered like water. The buildings themselves seemed to be made of some type of liquid. Virginia frowned in confusion. It looked like the ground the were standing on, almost. The clear force field. Perhaps everything these sky people built was constructed of force fields. It made sense, Virginia supposed, because there weren't too many building materials just lying around up here. There was nothing up here except this city.  
Lorelei was standing perfectly still. Her head was tilted up slightly, as if she was listening for something. Then she glanced around and sighed.  
It's begun, she muttered. They're all gone.  
It was then that Virginia noticed for the first time that the city was deserted. Unlike Eulonia, and definitely unlike Manhattan, there were no people lining the streets, buying and selling things, shouting at each other, and going about their everyday business. The sidewalks were empty and silence covered the ghostly city.  
Where did they go? Virginia whispered.  
Battle stations. Lorelei strode into the city and again the others hurried to keep up with her. She led them along a confusing path of twists and turns, through narrow alleys and wide streets. It seemed a lot like the hall of mirrors at an amusement park, because everything was almost see-through, but not quite. For Virginia, the result was weird, distorted mirror images of herself everywhere she turned. It wasn't a very good feeling, for someone who is already too nervous, to see movement everywhere and not be able to know if it was her own reflection or... not.   
After walking silently for a long time in the misty fun house, Lorelei came to an abrupt stop in front of a very ordinary building. Ordinary compared to others in the odd city, anyway. It was two stories high and windowless, certainly because of the complete lack of need for windows since the house itself was almost transparent. There was a normal- sized door at the top of a set of steps. Virginia could also see inside the house, and its contents appeared the same as any other residence they had pasted; a bedroom and a kitchen and a family room. It looked remarkably like any regular one-family house that one could find in the tenth kingdom.  
They could all tell from Lorelei's expression that there was something different about this house, though. Almost reverently, she led them up the steps. Opening the door, she motioned frantically for Virginia, Wolf, and Tony to hurry up and get inside.   
What's the rush? Virginia asked. Whoever you think we're hiding from can see us just as easily when we're inside as when we're outside.  
No. They can't see or hear us, Lorelei said softly.  
Then why are you whispering? Tony demanded.  
Shhh! The Guardian can't take loud noises.  
Wolf said sarcastically, Now everything's clear. What's a guardian?!   
Our leader, Lorelei told them matter-of-factly. Our king, you might say. He is a good, brave man, but excessive noise is harmful to him.  
Virginia questioned skeptically.  
His sense of hearing is supernatural. Nothing escapes his ears. I mean nothing. Sometimes, when the conditions are perfect, he can hear into the past. Lorelei paused, smiling at their surprised expressions. And also, she added meaningfully, the future.  
Virginia met her eyes as Lorelei looked at her. She was trying to tell her something. _But what?_, Virginia wondered. That was real nice that their Guardian could hear the future. He must be a very handy guy to have around. But what did it have to do with her?  
Come on, Lorelei said to all of them, still staring at Virginia, who finally looked away. He is down in the emergency shelter.  
They followed her through a hallway and down a steep staircase. They were descending into the cloud, under the solid force field. Soon everything was darker, and finally they found themselves in an opaque chamber. The little room was lit dimly by a single candle that sat on the floor in a holder in the corner closest to the stairs. The chamber was bare of furniture and any decoration at all, except for the candle and one solitary stool.   
A figure sat hunched on the stool, bent with age and exhaustion. Virginia could barely see his features, but even in the partial light she could tell that he was a very old man. He wore a dark hooded cloak, with the hood pulled back. But Virginia stopped analyzing the man right then, because there in his arms was her son.  
She gave a cry and ran to him, snatching Patrick out of the man's arms. Tears of happiness, relief, and all good feelings in the world ran down her face. Wolf came over and took both of them up in his arms. Virginia kissed Patrick's face over and over again, and the baby laughed happily. He threw his chubby little arms around her neck and buried his face in her chest, and Virginia couldn't stop crying and saying his name for a long time. Tony joined them and the finally united family held each other like they would never let one another out of sight again.  
Virginia let Wolf hold Patrick as she smoothed the baby's hair until she had practically rubbed it all off. Patrick gurgled and cooed as if he wondered why they were all making such a big fuss. Virginia hadn't realized how much she needed to see her son until he was right in front of her. She noticed everything about him, tiny little things that she had taken for granted before. How he blinked every other second. How he stuck his entire hand in his mouth instead of just his thumb. His dark eyebrows, and how they shot up when something surprised him. His nose vibrated when he laughed, and he was always laughing. His eyes were the palest blue, a clear sky on a cool spring morning.  
While Tony took Patrick and started playing patty-cake with him, Lorelei managed to tear Virginia's eyes off them for one second.  
The Guardian wishes to speak with you.  
Virginia glanced somewhat savagely at the ancient man who sat stooped in the corner. He had stolen her son and caused her immeasurable grief. And now he wanted to sit down with her and have a conversation? It seemed more than a lot to ask of her. Virginia sighed but walked over to the man after Lorelei gave her a pleading look.  
May I help you? Virginia asked sarcastically. She regretted it a moment later, though, when she noticed how very weak the man really was. He could barely lift his head to look at her.  
he said in a trembling voice. You can help us all.  
Virginia kneeled on the ground so that she could look into the man's eyes. When she saw them she reeled back in horror.  
The man had no pupils. His eyes were purely and utterly white, like the face of the Mirror. She assumed that the man was blind. The blankness of his eyes was unnatural, something that should simply not be.   
I don't understand, she whimpered.  
It is a long story, but you must hear it. The man lifted his terrifying eyes and knowingly stared into Virginia's with an intensity that made everything in her want to turn away. But she held his gaze and listened to his words.   
What I will tell you means the difference between life and death. For everyone.  
  
  


CHAPTER FIFTEEN  


  
It was completely silent in the chamber. Virginia's heart was beating loudly, though, and she was sure that she was not the only one who could hear it.  
I have a story to tell you, the Guardian said quietly. He kept his terrible eyes cast down, as if he knew how upsetting they were to the others. It is a story that does not yet have an ending, one that will explain many mysteries but create others. He paused. I'm going to tell why I took your son.  
_It's about time_, was all Virginia could think of. She walked over to Tony and gently took Patrick from him. She held the little baby, now sleeping soundly, and stroked his head. How did she survive without him for so long?  
Wolf sat down on the floor, and motioned to Virginia to sit too. Shakily, she lowered herself to the cold floor and propped Patrick up in her lap. Tony joined them, not about to be left out. Virginia allowed herself to calm down for an instant. If nothing else was going right at the moment, at least they were a family again.  
With Lorelei still standing with arms crossed in the corner, the Guardian began to speak. Even though he had looked pitifully weak, and no doubt he was, the old man sat straight and tall as he began his tale, and his voice grew stronger with each word. Virginia couldn't help but be captivated by what he was saying.  
  
It may seem like longer, but in reality it was only a couple of days ago that the three of you were in King Wendell's palace. You heard the Mirrors then, screaming as they were shut down. When you recovered, Wendell and Wolf showed you a book. It was the easiest way to explain to you what was going on; why your son may have disappeared, why the Dwarf shut down the Mirrors. But a book can only tell you so much. There is more.  
In 1750, even before the Golden Age of the Nine Kingdoms began, the mold was cast to create a Traveling Mirror. Two others, which you are all quite familiar with, were made before this time. This third one, however, was different. The Dwarves, expert Mirror makers that they were, figured that if they altered the ingredients and added more quicksilver, something in the way the Mirror worked was bound to change. The White Mirror was simply an experiment.  
Most of the changes they made caused no real difference in the Mirror's operation. The Dwarves made the frame of unicorn horn instead of wood, and left the Mirror in the mold a year longer than necessary, among other things. But what really mattered was one element they left out- any and all types of metal. And also one thing they changed- instead of spring water, they used rain water.  
The metal was the talisman needed to transport anyone using the Mirror to Manhattan, New York. Since there is so much metal there, more than in the Nine Kingdoms, all metal here is attracted to where there is more of it. It is magnetized, you might say, although it is not just magnetic metal that has this property. Almost every material in the Nine Kingdoms has it. Including rain water. Since our city is in the clouds, and there is so much rain water here, the water in the Mirror was attracted to us. And so the White Mirror takes anyone traveling through it here, to our city. The Mirror shows only white because of our clouds.  
After the Dwarves pulled the White Mirror out of its mold, eleven long years later in 1761, they were terribly curious about what they had created. Many brave Dwarves, elves, and other creatures went into it, to us. We gave them breathing rings, welcomed them to our city, which is called Welkin, and did our best to make them feel at home. But as soon as these strange people started periodically appearing in front of us, from the alien lands that lie so far below, we realized that we couldn't let them go back. They would tell others, and then more and more would start coming, not able to resist the lure of our magic and power. Because we _are_ very powerful.  
So we kept them. Some were happy to stay. They had volunteered to go through the Mirror in the first place because they were ready to die. Once they found themselves in this heaven, most didn't complain. Others we had to keep locked up so that they couldn't escape. Not that was anywhere to go.  
Eventually the Dwarves realized that they had made a mistake. They figured that somehow they had made the Mirror lead to nowhere, and once people went through, there was no way to get back. In 1770, they disabled the Mirror so that no one else could go in, and hid it away.  
This whole ordeal happened right before I was appointed Guardian. Yes, I was very much alive in the 1770's. The people here in our city live so much longer than people in the Nine Kingdoms and your world. We are not truly immortal, but we are not human, and there is so little to hinder us here that we can live for many hundreds of years. Once we reach a certain young age, we don't age further. If there is no sickness or famine or other types of threats to our health, we will live for eons. I am aged because hearing the future is tiring. It uses up all my energy, and my body deteriorates - extremely slowly.  
It was at this time, after all the visitors from the Nine Kingdoms had stopped coming, that Acrotis was a young girl. Young meaning about five hundred years old. Her older sister Lorelei was one of out best citizens and a talented artist. Here in Welkin, in the clouds, when we say artist we mean it quite differently than you do. Our form of art is working with the weather. Lorelei could call up a storm at will, and direct it to wherever it was most needed. Bringing wind, rain, ice, snow, and ordering the clouds to part to allow sunshine are talents that are much valued here. Although all this would go on without our help, we enjoy working with it. It's a form of entertainment for us.  
Acrotis was not as talented as her sister. She tried very hard, I will give her that, but patience was not a virtue that came easily to Acrotis. She was jealous; of her sister, her parents, her friends, of anyone with more power than her. It became an obsession, and Acrotis grew more and more angry with anyone who tried to help her; indeed, with anyone who attempted to communicate with her at all.  
It was a sad time for many members in our community who had known Acrotis before she was like this. We felt that somehow we had failed her, let her down, and that that had caused her to become so sick. We tried to help her, but nothing would make her listen. When she wasn't sleeping or eating or in a class, Acrotis spent all her time alone at the far reaches of the city, practicing with the weather. Because she spent so much time on it, she became reasonably good at this, especially with thunder and lightning. Even so, she never could satisfy her own standards. The best way to describe her was power-hungry. She couldn't stop until she had everything perfect, until she knew she was better than the best.  
Eventually Acrotis realized that this simply wasn't possible. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't beat her friends or her sister at anything to do with weather, and what she wanted to do was beat the Guardian. The Guardian is chosen not only because of his hearing' skills, but also because he is talented at controlling the weather. Acrotis thought that if she could prove she was better than the Guardian, she could make her family and friends respect her. Why she didn't think we already did that is a mystery. I guess that's what we blame ourselves for.  
Acrotis was insane. She thought that since she couldn't beat the Guardian at his own game, she would make up a new one. In her mind, the only way to conquer the power was to kill it. And, ultimately, that is what she did.  
In 1773, Acrotis devised her plan. She was going to assassinate the Guardian. The first question was, when? She wanted as many people as possible to see her final victory. The most obvious time to it do was at one of two annual gatherings in which the Guardian addresses the entire city of Welkin. He or she is raised above the others on a small cloud and speaks to the citizens with a device similar to your microphone. One of these gatherings is in spring, the other in autumn. Since autumn was closer and Acrotis was so eager to show everyone how powerful she really was, she decided that she would do it then.  
The second, and more difficult, question was, how? She wasn't powerful enough to bring a great lightning bolt down from the sky to burn him up. She didn't even have the strength to call up a little cloud of her own to fly up there and slide a knife into his heart. She did want to be where everyone could see her, though. In the end she decided to climb to the top of the highest tower close enough to where the Guardian would be, in plain sight of the crowd. She would then take her bow and arrows, some of her most prized possessions, and shoot the Guardian. To Acrotis, the simplicity of it, no weather or poisons or such involved, made it even more delicious.  
All that was left to do was to actually carry out the plan. On the day of the gathering that autumn, Acrotis slipped away from the group and climbed the tower closest to the Guardians cloud. She climbed up on the roof and sat down with her bow and arrows next to her. She leaned her head on her hands and looked up at the old man. Acrotis had decided to let the doomed Guardian finish his speech before he died. The arrow whistling through the air and into his chest would be the grand finale to a wonderful ten thousand year reign, she thought. Yet there was no mercy in her while she sat there. She had given up those emotions long ago. The only feeling left was the need for revenge, but I don't think even she knew what that revenge was for by then.  
For the first and last time in her life, things went just as Acrotis planned that day. As the Guardian finished his speech and the crowd started to applaud, she stood up slowly. Since she was so close to where the Guardian was standing, people began to notice her quickly. But not quickly enough. She raised her bow, fitted an arrow carefully to the taut string, took aim, and realized it. I don't know if she knew that she realized her life in Welkin with it.  
After the arrow struck the Guardian, everything happened so fast. He collapsed onto the cloud, and the entire city gasped as one. Those who came to their senses first rushed up to the top of the building Acrotis was on and captured her. She came willingly - she had done what she wanted to do. She stood there, waving to the crowd and smiling.  
They took her down from the tower, and then they sent her down from Welkin. She was exiled. As before, this happened very fast; one day Acrotis was here, the next she was in the Nine Kingdoms, a lost teenage' girl wandering around outside Dragon Mountain. She was there only because that's where we decided to leave her. I don't even remember how we got her down there. But luckily for her, the Dwarves decided to take her in. Despite what she had done and was capable of, Acrotis wasn't stupid. She realized that she needed to lie low for awhile and learn everything she could from the strange, ornery little men she suddenly found herself surrounded by. They taught her about Mirrors, and she was happy enough to learn. She was especially interested in the White Mirror. No doubt she was always on the lookout for some way to get to it and back to the only home she had ever known.


	4. Chapters Sixteen - Twenty

  


CHAPTER SIXTEEN   


  
  
Meanwhile, here in Welkin there was turmoil. Without a Guardian, the people were lost. A new one had to be chosen as soon as possible. Usually this process starts before the other Guardian dies, and there isn't need for a new one very often at all. But now the city found itself utterly and completely without a leader, and the only known person who could Hear' in this generation was me. Since I was also more than decent at weather controlling, I was chosen for Guardian. It wasn't too much of a surprise for me; I already knew I was a candidate because of my abilities.  
"Even so, my sudden election was almost overwhelming. I found myself in charge of so much. Every single being in this city depended on me, or at least thought they did. They wanted me to tell them the future. That is what a Guardian is for, to protect the people by making sure that there are no surprises. I was to tell them if I 'heard' anything, in the past or the future, that could mean that there was any type of threat for Welkin. To be honest, I didn't tell them everything. Or even most of what I heard. But they also honestly didn't want to know. Who wants to be told what is going to happen to them, to always know what course their actions are going to take? But I was security to them, a safety precaution. And for a few short months my life was almost peaceful.  
"But not for long. In 1774, I began to Hear something that troubled me. It was voices not from some far away time period, but from the present. And they were coming from the lands below.   
"It was the beginning of the Great War, a terrible time of fighting and misery as the groups of creatures that now form the Nine Kingdoms were finding out what to do with themselves. It was the age of the real 'Fairy Tales' - Snow White was being poisoned, Cinderella was covered in cinders, Hansel and Gretel were wandering toward the witch's candy house, Sleeping Beauty was fast asleep, and Humpty Dumpty was falling off a wall. You get the idea. It was before happily ever after, and it was far more gruesome than what they'll tell you about in books. I felt.... well, I felt as though I had to _do_ something, especially since Acrotis was right there in the middle of it. I knew that I shouldn't feel sorry for her, I certainly didn't and still don't approve of what she did, but the truth is that I have a soft spot for Acrotis.   
"Whatever I felt about her, it did not affect why I decided to do what I did at the beginning of that war. I decided to help. Some actions I took back then may not have been right, and I do regret them. But I think that over all it turned out for the best.   
"Since the White Mirror had been shut down four years before, there had obviously been no more visitors. Everyone in Welkin had almost forgotten about the whole ordeal. But I had not. The lands below had always fascinated me, and now in their time of need I was compelled to help them. In any way I could.   
"I thought that with my power to hear the future, I could find out what enemy troops were planning and stop them with the weather- a couple of big lightning bolts should do the trick. I did realize that perhaps this wasn't fair. After all, who was I to decide who would live and who would die? But back then I brushed that thought away.  
"It was a good plan; after all, I was so powerful, why not put it to good use? But my power, at least as far as Hearing went, was failing. I hadn't realized it for a long time because I had been so busy adjusting to my new role. But it was true- what were once strong voices to me were now only whispers, and I could hardly ever hear the future at all. For anything to go right, to keep my position in Welkin and for me to help the soon-to-be Nine Kingdoms, I would need help.   
"I found it one day in Prince Leon. He was a young man, some second-cousin of Cinderella's I believe. His voice had been a prominent one my mind, as I sat listening to the ever-quieter whispers drifting up from the lands below. He played some sort of important role in the war, developing what would someday be the Council of the Nine Kingdoms. But that is not what interested me about him. From what I could hear, little bits of conversation and speeches to an assembly, I pieced together words and phrases and found out that my suspicions had to be correct: This man could _See_.   
"I suppose you can figure out what that means. People who can See will know the future through visions, just as those can Hear will know it through voices. It didn't really matter to me how he did it, though. What I needed was someone who could tell me the future.  
"If I could get him here, to Welkin, without anyone down there knowing who I was or how I did it, I could convince him to tell me two important pieces of information- what lay in the future for Welkin, so I could tell my people and remain Guardian, and what lay ahead for the Kingdoms, so that I could help them by using my power with the weather. It seemed almost simple. But how was I going to get him here?  
"I thought long and hard about this. All that I knew about mortals I had learned four years before, when the White Mirror was transporting them to us. I still wasn't sure what they could and couldn't survive. Since I was, however, positive that humans could travel through Mirrors, I decided to stick to what I knew. I would use the White Mirror. But not directly. That wasn't possible because it was deactivated, and there was no way that I could physically reactivate it from Welkin. But I could use its essence.  
"Some Dwarves had come to us during the months that the Mirror was in full operation. They had taught us some things about Mirrors. We knew that traveling Mirrors worked because of that property of all materials in the kingdoms- being attracted to where the greater abundance of one material is. If I could put rainwater in any Mirror and pull someone through it, it would act as a traveling Mirror, a new manifestation of the White Mirror. Perfect.  
"I needed a Mirror that Prince Leon would frequently be standing in front of. He often used an old Spying Mirror to converse with his uncle, so I would use that. Now how to get rainwater into it? Or simply onto the surface of the Mirror. If I could do that, then the quicksilver in the glass would help absorb the water, and the Mirror would work as a traveling Mirror when I gave it the power. The Prince sometimes took it along with him when he went away from his castle on royal business. It was out in the open, under the sky. So I would make it rain.  
"For good measure, I made it rain a lot. In all the history books published thereafter, it would be known as the Great Storm of 1774. There was nothing but rain for several weeks. Floods overtook many parts of the land, but not all. After all, I needed only to get one single Mirror in the whole region wet. But I took no chances. And because of this, I succeeded. While trying to move the Spying Mirror from one caravan to another, some servants of the Prince allowed several cool raindrops to fall onto its upturned face. Now all that was left to do was wait.  
"The next day, Prince Luke was standing in his chamber, with the Spying Mirror, turned into a Traveling Mirror, in front of him. Planning to talk to his uncle, he rotated the secret knob to activate the Mirror, and disappeared from the kingdoms forever. I pulled him in, when the Mirror was powered up and turned white. I didn't touch him physically; I drew him into Welkin with only the power of my will. And the best part was that no one ever even guessed what happened. There were several guards, 'witnesses', in the room at the time, but all they could do was stare.  
"Once I had the prince, all that was left to do was to make him see. It's difficult for some to use their power of Sight or Hearing, very difficult the first time one tries it. But Prince Leon surpassed all my expectations. As soon as I asked him if he knew he had the power to See, he said that he had always known that their was something different about him. He didn't say it a superior tone as though it was something to brag about, he just said it as it was, a simple fact. He was different, and he wanted to know more about it. So I told him to close his eyes and think. He didn't ask me what he should think about, he just thought. And after a couple moments I knew that he was Seeing. He stood like that, in a trance, for several long minutes.  
"When he opened his eyes, he blinked once. And in that instant his eyes became as white as mine. Ever since I started Hearing, my eyes had lost all their color. I could still see, but whenever I looked at my reflection I winced, and still do. The prince probably did not realize until much later what he had become, but I felt the stab of pain in my heart when I saw what I had done to him.   
"With his expressionless gaze he looked at me and he told me that the Gremlin army would be advancing on his region in fifteen hours. They were coming in over the southern mountains, and they planned to take no prisoners but kill all life forms in their path. And then, in his same, slow, calm voice he added that he would never look into the future again. It was too painful to ever again see anything like what he had just seen. And I knew that he was telling the truth, in every word that fell from his lips, and there was nothing that I could do about his decision. He had seen his people slaughtered and his kingdom overrun by the most foul creatures alive, Gremlins. I wouldn't make him see the future ever again. I wondered if there was really anything that I could do about it anyway. Prince Leon was a strong man, and in the end he served his kingdom in the best way that he could.  
"I wasted no time. I put all of Welkin on alert, and formed what are now known of as the battle stations. All of the most skilled weather workers in Welkin rode out to the far end of the city and prepared themselves. They waited there, and followed my orders to be ready at any moment to hear my signal. When they heard my voice, every one of them, twenty-five in all, focused on the part of Prince Leon's region where the Gremlins were waiting, poised to attack, and all as one sent down their mightiest winds, rain, lighting, snow, and hail. To put it lightly, no one knew what hit them. The entire gremlin army was blown away. My weather workers had a special plan that allowed them not to harm any of Prince Leon's citizens, so the genocide was completely avoided, thousands of lives saved. It was our first great victory in the soon-to-kingdoms, and this is one example of a battle that I do not regret in the least. Unfortunately, there were not many of those.  
"But I was no fool. I knew that I did not wipe out the Gremlin race, and that they were not the only enemy of Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and the other future Queens. I also know that Prince Luke was no longer of any assistance to me. I would need more Seers and Hearers, and I would need them soon. There were battles breaking out all over the place, but unless I knew about them before they happened, I couldn't get my weather workers to battle stations fast enough. I would have to abduct another person using my rainwater/Mirror plan.   
"This second time it went much faster. I quickly found a pixie who could hear. She was frequently around a large Mirror that her secluded village used for communicating with other fairies. Since this was kept outside, it was easy enough to send a simple light rain down to drench it while the careless pixies weren't looking. The next time the young female pixie, whose name escapes me, was passing by the Mirror, I turned it white and grabbed her. Again, no one realized anything about it except that she was gone.   
"When I had her in this chamber, I asked her to close her eyes and listen. Pixies are naturally not as bright as humans, so this took a little longer than it did with Prince Leon. But eventually she did hear about the next battle, and managed to tell me about it. She too, however, looked far too traumatized to attempt it again, and since my entire mission was to help these people, I was not going to force it upon her. That meant that I would need a new Seer or Hearer every time there might be a battle. It was hard work, but I was willing to do this if it meant that hundreds of lives would be saved. Luckily my weather workers agreed with me, because I could not have done any of this without them.  
"During the Great War, Acrotis was still staying at Dragon Mountain with the Dwarves. She had convinced them that she was just a very lost human girl, one who had tragically lost her memory in some horrible accident and had no idea where she used to live or who her parents were. I'm not sure if the Dwarves really believed her or not, but they let her lie slip past and provided her with food and a place to stay, as long as she did their bidding. It was a good hideout for Acrotis, and she was still learning all she could about Mirrors.  
"And so, it was by pure coincidence that she was there when I chose my next 'victim'. You remember Cinderella telling you in her palace about how Acrotis had been a witness to one of the disappearings? Perhaps it never occurred to you that Acrotis couldn't have been alive in the eighteenth century. But, no matter.   
"There was a Dwarf in Dragon Mountain who could Hear. As this was my twenty-first abduction, I was getting quite used to the procedure by now. I saw immediately how to get rainwater into a Mirror and suck him through it; I would make it rain on one of the many Mirrors that are shipped into Dragon Mountain every week for repair. The particular Dwarf worked in that area, fixing the Mirrors, so he would come into contact with all the Mirrors that were out in the rain.  
"Acrotis, on the same day that I acted, was also helping in the repair department. There was only one other Dwarf in the room at the time. I didn't notice that she was there at all, so I pulled the Dwarf who could hear through the Mirror right in front of her. It was a foolish thing to do, I know now. If I had realized that she was there, I would never have revealed the whiteness of the Mirror to her. She was smart enough to put two and two together, and discover that there was a way to get through the Mirror without reactivating it. Maybe it didn't matter anyway. In the end that knowledge did not help her. Still, I'm sure it gave her new hope of returning to Welkin through the Mirror.  
"Over the next few years I abducted thirty-four creatures with the power to See or Hear. Each of them sacrificed their own lives in the kingdoms, because I couldn't let them down after I had shown them Welkin. And each of them saved many other lives in doing so.   
"In the year 1800, the Great War ended, and the Golden Age began. Cinderella, Snow White, Queen Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Gretel the Great all began their peaceful reigns, and the Nine Kingdoms were formed. Of course there were still awful creatures like trolls roaming around, even claiming their own kingdom, but they were subdued. Thanks to my work, some of the more horrible races were annihilated, including the Gremlins. It was almost three long decades from the beginning of the war to the end, but it was well worth it.   
"Acrotis seized this time to act. She left the Dwarves who had been so good to her without so much as a goodbye and started off to find new possibilities for finding how to reactivate the White Mirror. By that time this was her major goal, and when Acrotis got it in her head to do something no one could stop her. She traveled all the way to Cinderella's Kingdom. She wandered up to the palace door and again told the tale that she was a lost child who had lost her memory in a tragic accident. I am positive that Cinderella did not believe her story, but she did not question it and kindly gave Acrotis the job of Advisor on the subject of Mirrors. Acrotis had learned quite a lot during her stay with the Dwarves, and she lost no time showing off this fact to Cinderella.  
"One wonders after a while what is going through the head of this great woman. She let a strange girl into her palace and appointed her an Advisor without asking more than her name. She must have known at least part of what Acrotis really was. If there was no other reason for this to be true, she must have known something was amiss when after a hundred years Acrotis had not aged a day. But for some reason Cinderella kept her silence, and no one else bothered to question.  
"The Golden Age progressed, and ended. All the great Queens were dead except Cinderella, and she was getting far too old to rule her kingdom by herself. At least that's what everyone else said. I think she was doing just fine.  
"So that brings you almost up to date. But I still haven't answered the one question that you want to know the answer to, have I?  
"Why did I take your son?  
"I gave you this history lesson for a reason. So that perhaps you could figure it out for yourself. Why have I ever before taken people through Mirrors? To help with war. Because they can See.  
"There will be a war. And your son can See."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  


  
Virginia was lying down on a soft bed of.... of something that felt like a cloud. Slowly, the thought slipped into her mind that it probably was a cloud, but she didn't remember why or how she got there or when she had fallen asleep. It was so warm and comfortable that she wanted to roll over again and drift off again to rest, but something kept her from doing so. She managed to force her eyelids open to look around. First, she checked to make sure that Patrick, Wolf, and Tony were still near by. Patrick was cuddled up close by her left side, so it was a good thing that she hadn't rolled over or she might have crushed him. Wolf was on Patrick's other side, and he had his arm around him. They looked so cute sleeping there together, curled up on the fluffy cloud. Virginia smiled and knew that she would never again take a sight like that for granted.  
Tony was snoring on Virginia's other side. He also looked cute in his own way, Virginia thought fondly. She didn't want to wake any of them, but she was no longer at all tired. Slowly and carefully she stood up, trying both not to wake her family or slip on the force field she remembered all too well.  
With not a notion in her head of where she was going, Virginia set off by herself into the fog. Judging by the amount of light, it seemed to be early morning, perhaps just at sunrise. It was cool and breezy, but Virginia had the idea that it was likely much colder than she felt it to be. The ring on her finger felt heavy, reminding her of her ultimate dependance on it.   
Walking became easier as Virginia practiced, the force field becoming no more difficult to navigate than a particularly wet patch of sidewalk. Not being able to see more than a few feet away in any direction was still rather unnerving to her, though. She brushed away a patch of cool mist with her hand, and it swirled and disappeared. That frustrated her for some reason. It was so elusive and intangible, she felt powerless against it. Vainly she grabbed at the clouds, but the mist slipped through her fingers into nothing and was gone. _Just like my life,_ she thought. _I'm going to be stuck here forever in this place I don't understand, and there isn't anything I can do about it._  
She walked on, trying not to feel too sorry for herself but failing miserably. She had no idea what to do. What the stupid old Guardian had told her was unbelievable to say the least. Actually, everything he had said about the White Mirror's history made reasonably good sense. According to that book Wolf had shown her in Wendell's palace, it was as suitable an answer as any. But of course, she couldn't possibly be expected to believe that her son, _her son_, was a "Seer". Patrick, the little baby who slept and cried and threw up just like all the other infants in the world? It simply wasn't possible. Virginia tried coming up with several good reasons to support her argument. The power couldn't be something he had inherited from Wolf. Or from her, for that matter. But maybe it wasn't genetic. The Guardian didn't say anything about it being genetic. Maybe it didn't have to be inherited at all.  
But then, Virginia thought, grasping at another idea that would make it all impossible, how did that Guardian know anything about it anyway? How could he have any clue that Patrick was a seer if Patrick was born only three months ago? He couldn't, she concluded, and left it at that. She didn't want to think about it too much as it made her head hurt.  
She had been walking for a long time and was only just beginning to realize how foolish it was of her to start out into the mist without a thought in her head of where she was planning on going, or how she was ever going to get back. Virginia stopped walking and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands to help her think. She had been going in a fairly straight line, she reasoned, and if she turned around now she should end up close enough to where she started to at least scream for help. Not the most brilliant plan, but good enough. She turned on her heel and started walking in the opposite direction. Despite her efforts to remain calm, Virginia broke out into a run after only the first few steps. She was suddenly very eager to get back to civilization, or what there was of it up here.  
Fortunately she noticed in time that the cloud was thinning. Virginia slowed her pace to a stride. More light was shafting through the haze than had ever before in the short time that Virginia had spent in Welkin. She didn't realize at first what it meant, but in the next second she inevitably did.  
The Nine Kingdoms were stretched out before her. The breath-taking, indescribable beauty of it knocked the wind out of her. The sun was rising to the east, brilliant colors splashed across the sky in perfect harmony with the distant clouds. Fields, mountains, valleys, cities, and forests were arrayed below, contrasting almost in a pattern. On the distant horizon she could see the curve of the earth, and beyond that more clouds. It was so odd and beautiful at the same time, to see those faraway puffs of clouds at eye level. She stood perfectly still for at least two minutes, drinking it all in. If she could remember this sight, if she could preserve this one radiant instant in time forever, somehow it would all be okay. Whenever she felt like giving in, giving up, she could pull this out of the depths of her mind and it would all turn out all right. It was so perfect, so completely flawless, that Virginia wanted to stand there forever and melt into that landscape. She could smell it, taste it. The aroma of a deep forest, fresh roses, air on a mountain after the rain, and the tiniest intimation of a wind on the ocean, traveling from undiscovered lands she couldn't see. But she could see everything.  
Virginia blinked. She had to wake up. Why was she standing there, looking down on the Kingdoms, when what she should be doing was trying to get back to Welkin? _Stop being so critical,_ she told herself severely. _It's beautiful, and I could use something beautiful after all I've been through these past few days._ But every time she glanced down and recognized a landmark- Kissingtown, characterized by a flash of pink, the fields around Cinderella's palace, Dragon Mountain in the distance- she thought of how it could all change so quickly if Wendell didn't win the damned war. The trolls, the giants, and all their allies would take over, and who know what they had in store for the Kingdoms? Virginia rubbed her temples gloomily. She planted her feet firmly in reality now, remembering with a shock what was really going on down below her, beneath the deceptive cover of beauty. There was a war brewing, and Wendell and the entire council of the Nine Kingdoms were brutally outnumbered.  
Virginia tried to focus on the immediate future. Her mediocre plan was ruined. She couldn't go straight back to where Wolf, Patrick, and Tony were because the cloud had ended. Therefore, she didn't have the faintest clue to where she was. Lost and alone, Virginia sat down on the force field. She remembered something she had learned a _very_ long time ago, maybe from that one year she had joined the Girl Scouts, but had then decided she didn't like it and quit. It was one of the few rules she had understood in Girl Scouts, because it made perfect sense: If you get lost, stay where you are. Don't go running around like a fool looking for the way back, because you'll only go further away from people trying to find you. Virginia decided to try it. She curled her legs up under her and propped her head up with her hands. She realized then that she was on a cloud, and it is the nature of clouds to break apart and float away from other clouds. This could make it considerably more difficult for someone to find her. But even with this new knowledge, she was strangely calm. Maybe it was the effect of the highly panoramic sight of the Nine Kingdoms. _Or maybe_, Virginia thought, _I'm just losing my mind_.  
  
Wolf had been awakened by the wonderfully familiar sound of a baby wailing. Without even realizing it, he had wrapped his arm around Patrick during the night, so the experience was even more enhanced: he got the wake-up call _and_ the punch in the nose.   
Picking up Patrick and setting him gently on his knee, Wolf rubbed his eyes groggily and attempted to smooth his hair, which, after first being plunged under the ocean and then suddenly forced into the cold high-altidue air, was not faring quite as well as he wished. Not that he was complaining at all. He had his cub back, and there was no amount of torture he would not undergo to save him. But it seemed that Patrick's troubles were just beginning.  
Wolf held his son's hands and bounced him on his knee until the sobs turned into giggles. Looking at him, smiling and laughing with not a care in the world, Wolf couldn't begin to wonder what the Guardian was thinking when he stole the cub from them, claiming that he was a seer. The man was not all well in the head, Wolf thought sadly, and it could cost them all their lives. How could Patrick, an infant, even if he was a Seer, tell about what he "Saw"? How could he communicate it to them? And what exactly did the Guardian want to learn from him anyway? Wolf wanted answers, and he was getting restless just sitting there. And it wasn't as if the thought had not occurred to him that he hadn't eaten in at least twenty hours. It had been so long! The last food he remembered was a quick meal in Eulonia, the underwater city, and fish was not exactly his food of choice. Yes, he was going to find some food for his cub and himself. Right away.   
Wolf stood and lifted Patrick up onto his shoulders. The baby's feet dangled down on either side of his neck, and Wolf held the chubby little hands so that Patrick wouldn't lose his balance. Virginia always winced and looked the other way when Wolf sat Patrick in this precarious position. But Virginia apparently was not around at the moment. Wolf figured that she had already gone off to find some food. Trying not to feel too annoyed that she hadn't waited for him, Wolf scanned the clouded areas to all sides of him. He could see the clear buildings off to his left, so he started to walk that way. Wolf paused and steadied Patrick with his arms. Maybe he should wake Tony. No, on second thought, Tony could sleep a little longer and find them when he woke up.  
When Wolf and Patrick arrived at the house where Lorelei had taken them yesterday, Wolf noticed the Guardian standing inside. He could see him clearly, of course, and that was actually how Wolf was able to tell that house from all the other identical houses on the street. The old man seemed to be deep in thought. He was standing very still, hardly breathing, with his eyes closed, and was leaning unsteadily against the translucent wall. Wolf wasn't sure what to think of the Guardian's strange behavior, but it was no stranger than anything else he had already done. Wolf stepped up the stairs, being careful not to drop Patrick.   
As Wolf reached the door and went in, the Guardian's eyes flew open suddenly and he reached for Wolf's arm. With surprising speed and strength, the man grabbed his sleeve and dragged Wolf down the steps that led to the opaque chamber. Without knowing what else to do, Wolf let himself be led away, trying desperately to keep Patrick upright.  
"Hurry!" the Guardian cried as they rushed down the stairs. When they reached the basement, the man crumpled onto the rickety old stool and panted for breath. Wolf lifted Patrick off of his shoulders and set him down on the ground. He shook his head.  
"You really are out of your mind."  
"No!" the man gasped, "They were about to find me!"  
"Like I said...," Wolf repeated, "You're out of your mind."  
The Guardian groaned. "The fairies," he said. "Those devil fairies. They can sense me. They're looking for me, searching, all day, everyday. Whenever I use my powers of hearing, they can pick it up with their awful sensors, radar, I don't know what to call it. I'm only safe in this chamber. Didn't I tell you? No, I guess not. You don't believe me anyway."  
Wolf sighed. "I have to. Sadly enough, you're the most reliable source any of us have right now." He rolled his eyes, and decided to humor the nutcase. "If they were going to get you, why were you trying to hear outside the chamber?"  
"It's the only way I can," the Guardian said miserably. "I'm too weak to attempt it in here. The walls block me so much. I needed to know how my troops were doing at battle stations. Everyday at about this time, one of them reads out a report of their situation, so that maybe I can pick it up and listen. But I can't contact them, and that's very frustrating."  
"Why are the fairies searching for you?" Wolf asked, curious in spite of himself. He picked up Patrick from the floor as the baby began to whimper, and swung him gently back and forth in the air a couple of times. "How do they even know that you exist?"  
"Technically, they don't," the Guardian said. "They only know that there is something spying on them using supernatural powers. The trolls have discovered that when someone is Hearing or Seeing the past, present, or future, the person sends out some kind of wave, like sound waves, or ripples on a pond. They've developed sensors that can pick up these waves. They want to know when someone is spying on them. Some pixies carry these tiny sensors on them, and if they detect the waves, I'll be finished." The old man paused for a while, staring at Patrick, but not really seeing him. "Welkin is not really a different dimension, as the tenth kingdom is different from the other nine. Our city is above the Nine Kingdoms, and it would be very possible for the trolls to get to us here, if they realized that we existed and could figure out how to go this high and still be able to breathe. But they have an easy solution at the moment. They could send the dragons." The Guardian shook his head in sorrow. "We would not be able to deal with red dragons right now."  
Wolf held Patrick close. Something about the way this man talked, some quality in his voice, a whisper of truth, made it almost impossible to disbelieve him. But if it was true, if everything that he said was true, then they were in more danger than Wolf liked to think about. Especially after that comment about dragons, which Wolf chose to ignore. Otherwise, he might go crazy as the Guardian with all the worrying and waiting over something he didn't know but feared. Dragons!  
"So," Wolf said quickly, so that the Guardian couldn't tell them any more bad news at the moment, "How about some food? We haven't eaten in.... Well, when a man can't even remember the last time he's eaten, it's time for dinner, don't you think?"  
The old man smiled. "Yes, I suppose so. Where's your wife?"  
Wolf frowned. "I thought Virginia might be with you."  
"No, I haven't seen her since last night. But don't worry, Lorelei will find her."  
Wolf put a hand to his head. He desperately hoped so.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  


  
Lorelei paused in mid-step. She lifted her head into the breeze and closed her eyes. The wind lifted her long, dark hair from her shoulders and swept it out behind her. There was the smallest hint of the cool, crisp edge to the air that only comes when autumn is not far away. Wind would be picking up steadily, but moving on to other areas of the kingdom as quickly as it would come to theirs. A natural storm was coming in from the east that would bring a fair amount of rain tomorrow, and perhaps the first noticeably cooler temperatures they had experienced since the end of spring. Lorelei sensed all this in one deep breath, and dismissed with her exhale. She had not stopped for a weather report. She had heard something.   
A noise was coming from far off to her left. It was a continuous humming, and it sounded an awful lot like Virginia. Lorelei wondered what she was doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere, and headed towards the place where she guessed Virginia was.   
Virginia was indeed out there in the middle of nowhere, seated on the clouded force field with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin buried in her knees. She was humming some ballad loudly and off-tune, and staring intently at the kingdoms through a break in the cloud cover. Lorelei barely glanced at the scene below; she had seen it countless times before, but she understood what it must be like for Virginia. _She's really just a small child_, Lorelei thought, though not hotly. _Yet she certainly doesn't act like she's hundreds of years younger than me....._   
Since Virginia looked deep in thought and Lorelei didn't want to startle her, she sat down silently and waited to be noticed. She didn't have to wait long. All of a sudden, Virginia's head snapped over to where Lorelei was sitting patiently and she gasped.  
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were there!"  
Lorelei smiled and shook her head. "It's all right."  
Virginia still looked surprised that Lorelei had managed to sneak up behind her. She winced as she slowly stretched her legs out in front of her. She must have been sitting curled up for a long time. When she looked up, Virginia brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smiled too.   
"I'm so glad you're here. I was taking a walk and I got a little bit turned around." Virginia paused, then laughed out loud. "Ha! 'Got a little bit turned around.' I was completely lost."   
"That's easy to do out here," Lorelei grinned. "You should probably just stick around Welkin from now on."  
"Did that Guardian send you looking for me?" Virginia asked with a hint of amusement.   
"No," Lorelei answered honestly, "I was taking a short walk just like you; I haven't seen him at all this morning."  
Virginia nodded and rubbed her eyes. She felt incredibly tired. How she was going to make it all the way back to the city was a mystery, so she thought that she had better start right away. As she climbed to her feet, Virginia gulped nervously and asked Lorelei, "You _do_ know how to get back, right?"  
"I hope so," Lorelei laughed.  
  
  
Wolf paced anxiously outside the Guardian's home/prison. Patrick was sitting a few feet away, happily grabbing little handfuls of cloud and trying to shove them into his mouth before the mist escaped. Even though he was not having much luck with this game, he was enjoying it immensely.   
Wolf, however, was not so relaxed. Virginia had been gone for at least two hours, probably more. It was hard to tell since he had been sleeping while she left. Perhaps she could have gone in the middle of the night. Then she could be anywhere by this time! Or maybe she hadn't just 'left'. Maybe she was kidnapped, or stolen or something! Oh, he just couldn't bear it if she was missing for much longer- the worrying was eating him away. Wolf ran a hand through his hair and then started biting his nails. But that was such a horribly un-wolflike thing to do that he stopped it immediately and paced faster.   
No, he couldn't take it anymore. Wolf snatched up Patrick and was just about to stride boldly off into the fog when he ran smack into Virginia.  
"My love!" Wolf cried in surprise and relief. He skillfully held onto Patrick with one arm and swept Virginia up in the other, kissing her intensely. When they parted, Virginia gave him a wide smile; she was pleased that he was so worried about her.  
"Promise me you'll never again run off like that without telling me," Wolf chided, giving her a disapproving look.  
"Yes," said Lorelei, coming up beside Virginia, with as straight a face as she could muster. "That really was rather naughty of you."  
Virginia took her scolding with a bowed head to hide a grin. "Sorry."  
"As you should be," Wolf said, handing her Patrick as a sort of peace offering.  
Virginia reached out to take the baby, but paused as she did so because of the strange expression on Patrick's face. He had his eyes closed, and his lip was stuck out in a little pout, like he put it when he didn't quite understand something. His hands also were moving slowly together, as if he was trying to feel for something in the air. Then, suddenly, so fast that Virginia could hardly see what was happening, he clapped his hands together. But instead of a slap, Virginia heard an angry cry.   
"Geroff a me! Geroff, or yule be surry, yu aweful lil' munster!"  
Virginia screamed and stepped back in shock. Clutched in Patrick's hands was a tiny little man. This creature had pale, transparent wings attached to its back and a white beard that stretched all the way down to his middle. His garments were patched pieces of cloth that looked like they had been torn off some other, larger clothes. The relatively huge golden eyes were the most noticeable part of this entity, and they took up more than half of the man's little face.  
Patrick had opened his eyes and was studying the winged creature intently. His tight grip did not waver for an instant, despite the man's hostile but muffled threats. Patrick simply clamped his hand more firmly over the thing's mouth. The baby did not seem at all surprised that the little man had suddenly appeared out of absolutely nothing in his hands, but Virginia, Wolf, and Lorelei certainly were.  
"Cripes!" Wolf yelled. He didn't drop Patrick, which would have been Virginia's first response, but he did hold him and the creature as far away from his body as he possibly could.  
Lorelei was white as the clouds. "That's a pixie," she gasped. "He's actually caught a pixie!"  
"L' go a me, yu teribil imp!" the elf demanded furiously.  
"Well, what are we going to do with it?" Virginia inquired, the beginnings of panic creeping into her mind. She didn't want her baby holding that thing. What if it bit him? It could have rabies.....  
"We should take it to the Guardian," Lorelei said, twisting her hands nervously.  
"No, that's the last thing we should do," Wolf told her. "It could have one of those sensors on it. If it escaped, it could go tell the trolls about who's spying on them and exactly where he is. It could do that even if it didn't have a sensor on it. We can't take the chance."  
"What are you talking about?" Virginia asked angrily. She really loathed it when people were talking between themselves in front of her about things she didn't understand.  
"We don't have a choice," Lorelei explained, ignoring Virginia's question. "We can't let it go now, it already knows we're here. It would only be a matter of time before it found the Guardian. And anyway," Lorelei said, glancing at the pixie squirming in Patrick's hands, "It already knows there's a seer here. Your son Saw that fairy. That's the only way he would be able to catch it when it was invisible."  
Virginia shook her head. "No," she said. "You don't know what you're talking about. It was just a coincidence, that's all."  
Lorelei looked at her and frowned. She knew that Virginia was only deceiving herself. She didn't want to accept the fact that her son was different, that he was always going to be different. But Lorelei knew, because she had seen it all before.  
She took a deep breath and in one motion reached out and grabbed the struggling pixie from Patrick's hands. The baby immediately started to wail, like he had been cheated out of a favorite toy. Lorelei glanced down at the pixie. His face was a bright red and he glared at her with contempt.  
"If yu be lettin' me go dis _enstant_, ten I'll be seeing if I can let yu off eesy," he said venomously. "Or else yu wunt be likin' wat I'm gonna do tu ya."  
"Of course, sir," Lorelei said, wrapping her slender fingers tightly around the sprite's tiny body. "Come," she ordered Wolf and Virginia, and started for the door of the house.   
"I really don't think-" Wolf started to protest.  
"We won't show it to the Guardian yet," Lorelei interrupted without turning around or stopping. "I'm just going to take him into the building so that he can't escape if he gets out of our reach."  
Wolf reluctantly followed, with Virginia walking behind him even more reluctantly. Patrick was still crying, but Virginia took him and shushed him gently.  
When they got in the house, Lorelei led them to a different room with cupboards and a sink, all transparent, of course. She reached onto a shelf and pulled down a glass jar (actually it probably wasn't glass, but just looked like it), and unceremoniously dumped the pixie inside. She screwed the lid on tightly and took a sharp knife from a drawer. As she violently poked air holes in the lid with little regard to the panicking fairy, Lorelei swept her other hand over the counter top. Instantly twi plates, two cups, a bottle, and a bowl appeared. The plates were heaped high with all kinds of food that gave off the most wonderful aroma. The bowl was full of a less-appatizing yellow much which Patrick looked at hungrily. The other containers held cold milk.   
"Here." Lorelei motioned toward the food. "It's about time you ate something."  
Virginia didn't waste a second, and Wolf looked almost ready to cry. He sat Patrick down on the counter, handed him the bowl of mush, and dug in with his hands. Virginia didn't even think of telling him to use a fork. She was so hungry, and the food seemed like the best meal she had ever tasted. Patrick put his whole face in the bowl and licked it clean.  
Only when they finished the last crumb did any of them thank Lorelei, but she didn't seem to mind. Virginia asked how she had made the food appear out of nowhere.  
"It was already there," Lorelei replied nonchalantly. "I only made it visible."   
"HOW DARE YU!" the pixie screamed for the eighth time in five minutes.  
"How dare yu kep me in 'ere! Yu don' be-leeve me, but yull pay fir dis!"  
Virginia and Wolf sighed at the same time. "What should we _do_ with him?" Virginia asked.  
A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Lorelei's mouth, but she managed to suppress the grin. "Well," she said. "We could interrogate him."  
Virginia thought about that. "Yes...." she said finally. "Of course. He could tell us about the troll army's plans."  
"I ain't gonna tell ya nothin'!"  
"We could change that," Lorelei declared. She approached the fairy's jar menacingly. The poor creature pressed his body against the farthest wall, bending his delicate wings.   
"Leev me a lone," he croaked.  
"What's your name?" Lorelei demanded in a silky voice.  
The pixie gulped. "Nicholas."  
Virginia raised an eyebrow. She was surprised that this all but ordinary being had such a normal name.  
"So, Nicholas," Lorelei continued, "Do you have anything you'd like to tell us? About the troll regiment, I mean."  
"No," Nicholas answered forcefully. "I don'."  
"Really?" Lorelei exclaimed in mock surprise. "I'm sure there's something. After all, a smart, fast, _tremendously_ capable pixie like yourself must have been let in on some interesting secrets about their plans. No?"  
"'Fraid not," Nicholas replied with just as much sarcasm.  
"Why would you be keeping anything from us?" Lorelei went on without so much as a pause. "Those trolls, they're not your friends. They're just using you. Don't you realize that?" She began to pace back and forth in front of the fairy's prison, but never for an instant lifted her dark eyes from his golden ones.  
"Yur messin' wif my mind," Nicholas accused proudly. "But I ain't fallin' for it."  
"Oh, Nicholas," Lorelei shook her head in shame. "You're right. Of course those trolls and all the other pixies are on your side. I'm sorry. But then," she paused, and stopped pacing, "But then, why are your eyes still golden?"  
Nicholas blinked. He blinked, and then he blinked again, and then he stared blinking his eyes so rapidly that they closed entirely and he covered his face with his hands.  
"Surely a pixie as old as you are would have black eyes by now?"  
"Tey wudn't giv 'em to me," he whispered miserably. "Da last time, wen Reelish.... wen 'e was _muurdered_. I was ter, in da aaple orcherd. I saw it, da Qeeny, she kill 'em all! An I didn' do nothin'. I didn' go fir 'elp. So tey won' giv me my eyes. I hav to be an out cast fir da rest o' me life. No one ever reespect a gold'n eye."  
Lorelei let him cry for a minute. Then she bent down so that she could be at his eye level. Nicholas lifted his huge, apparently cursed golden eyes out of his hands and met her gaze.  
"Wouldn't you like something...... better?"  
He said nothing, just dried his tears. And then, slowly, he nodded.  
Lorelei sat back and smiled. "I thought so."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER NINETEEN  


The cold wind swept through the trees overhead. Dark clouds hurried across the sky, but it was not about to rain. Spread out in front of her was the river. There were an uncanny amount of waves on the water's surface, stirred by the cruel wind. If only it were a few degrees colder, she thought wistfully, and the river would possibly be iced over enough for her to cross on top; it wasn't moving very fast. But, of course, it was freezing enough only to be a nuisance to her, and no help at all. Her job couldn't be that easy.  
Acrotis would have called up a cloud to carry her across the river, but her powers were so much weaker on the ground than they were in the sky. Hardly ever could she work the weather from anywhere in the Kingdoms, except perhaps the top of Dragon Mountain. Sometimes, though, when she was angry enough, she could call a bolt of lightning or a quick clap of thunder from level ground. She had been angered plenty at Cinderella's palace, when those fools wouldn't listen to her plans about going through the Mirror. Her lightening and thunder had quieted them then, but not for long. Virginia had never trusted her, not for a minute, and now she never would. Lorelei would have more than enough time to convince the girl that Acrotis was the enemy and she was her friend.   
But the really unfair part, Acrotis mused as she stood facing the river, was that she hadn't been about to do anything terrible. All she wanted to do was unite the little family again- to give that Virginia back her baby. Acrotis wasn't the one who had taken him in the first place, anyway. It was Lorelei, her self-righteous older sister, who had stolen Patrick. Why should Virginia feel anything but hatred toward her, and anything but gratitude toward Acrotis? And why would Lorelei force her to leave Welkin again, even threaten her? What she had done happened a long time ago, and Acrotis had even been about to apologize for it. But not now. Lorelei obviously wasn't ready to hear any apologies from her.   
Maybe killing the old Guardian wasn't such a great idea after all, Acrotis thought to herself. _Why did I do it in the first place anyway?_ After standing for a moment in the tall grass by the riverbank, Acrotis started to move upstream to look for a better place to cross the icy water. She tried to think back to that day long ago when she had murdered the old leader of her city, shooting him in the heart with her arrow. Honestly, she couldn't remember why she did it, but she felt no remorse. Acrotis trusted herself and believed that it must have been a good thing to do at the time. Nothing horrible had ever come of it, unless you counted getting exiled from Welkin. Which she didn't. She had never felt at home there, like she didn't belong, and nothing that anyone said made any difference to her. The Nine Kingdoms offered her a better opportunity and a better life.  
But none of that meant that she was going to let her sister and the Virginia girl get away with treating her like they did. After she had practically been thrown out of Welkin the second time, Acrotis had found herself again at the deepest spot in the ocean, by the White Mirror. She had felt the sudden urge to smash it right there. That would show them. Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Patrick would never be able to get home then. But of course, only Nessie would ever be able to smash the Mirror. The monster had only given Acrotis a sideways glance as the girl began her ascent to the shore.  
Much later, Acrotis had climbed out of the ocean, exhausted but satisfied. She slipped the ring, which had again given her supernatural strength to swim the many miles from the bottom of the ocean, off her finger and threw it in the sand. Acrotis had looked high and low, all over the beach, for a flying carpet that they had left there, but none were to be found. They must have flown home, back to Cinderella's palace, without her, she thought dejectedly. There was nothing else for her to do but continue on foot to the trolls' camp in the north.  
Because that was her destination: the troll army's camp at the edge of the Northern lands. Not the troll army's camp at the end of the beanstalk forest in the Third kingdom. Not where Wendell, Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and the Governor of the Dwarf kingdom had seen the troll army's camp, because that was not where it was.   
When they had come out of the beanstalk forest on flying carpets, what everyone saw, and believed, was that there was an entire army of trolls and their allies camped out in the open field, oblivious to all the kingdom scouts and messengers and innocent passerby's who were bound to notice them. But Acrotis had seen something that the others hadn't while flying over the trolls, Sasquash, elves, and giants on their way to the Sea. What she had noticed was... nothing. No heat, no smells, no smoke in the air from the cooking fires of the army, and very little noise. And she had noticed the dragons, too, the red dragons that could under no possible circumstances stay cooped in the tents that long. Quite simply, the camp was not real.  
The camp and everything in it _looked_ real, that was certain, but it couldn't be. There was no doubt in her mind that it was all a very fancy hoax. The reason for the trolls to go through all that trouble to make it was clear. They wanted their enemies to be completely unaware of them so that they would have the element of surprise for an attack. Not that they really needed it much, Acrotis thought, since they vastly outnumbered the Kingdoms' armies anyway. But perhaps they had figured out that they were not the only ones with dragon allies.  
It had taken her a while to figure out how the trolls had done it, though. Acrotis knew of nothing that could make such a fantastic illusion that covered several acres and consisted of hundreds of moving images. Nothing except.... It tortured her for a long time, as she was traveling with Virginia, Wolf, and Tony to the Sea. She knew the answer; she had heard of it before.  
She remembered it as they swam to the bottom the ocean. It was a hologram! Of course, she thought to herself. Holograms were a relatively new invention, but they worked marvelously well. Little was known about them, really , and few cultures owned the magic and technology to create one. The trolls, unfortunately, were some of the lucky few.  
Acrotis had been thinking that perhaps the trolls would need to be close by to carry out their hoax. But if it was a hologram, they probably weren't anywhere near their supposed camp'. They could be anywhere in all the Kingdoms. Actually, they could be very few other places, simply because most of the land in the Nine Kingdoms was either densely populated or dangerously magical. Certainly there wasn't enough room in many places to secretly house an entire army. Outside their own beanstalk forest in the Third Kingdom was indeed the most likely place for the troll army to be, and so that's where they had set up their hologram.   
But now that she had figured out this much, where the _real_ troll army resided was no mystery to Acrotis. They needed someplace large and spacious because of the red dragons, who desperately needed room to fly to release their surplus of energy. It was just the nature of dragons to like wide open spaces, so they could never stay in the small tents portrayed in the hologram for so long. That also meant that the army's actual station couldn't be in a forest or underground.  
Also, the trolls, Sasquash, pixies, and, of course, giants were far from inconspicuous. They needed someplace to stay that was not easily or often accessed by any type of life form. Or at least any life form that would feel the need to go and tell the council of the Nine Kingdoms exactly where they were. Acrotis knew of only one place like that in all the world: the Northern lands. The Northern lands weren't part of the Nine Kingdoms at all, and no one ever went there. Only the Sasquash and the dragons lived in the forsaken wasteland, which made it even more convenient since those two species made up the bulk of the troll army.   
There was no way for Acrotis to be completely sure about her assumption that the trolls were camped in the Northern lands, or even that their camp' near the beanstalk forest was a hoax. But she was more than fairly sure, and she had nothing else to go on.   
The only reason she even cared at all about the whole war was that she was angry. She was angry at her family, her friends, her world. She wanted them to suffer. Welkin was allied, or would soon be allied, with the Kingdoms, that she was sure of. In her fevered mind, Acrotis was again devising a plan.   
She would go to the trolls. She would tell them all she knew about the Kingdoms' plans for their destruction. More importantly, she would tell them that there was Seer looking down on the army, about to learn all their secrets. The trolls would destroy them before anyone knew what was happening. Then she would sit back, watch the Kingdoms, Virginia, and Lorelei burn, and she would laugh.   
Acrotis stepped into the gently rushing water of the river. Suddenly it didn't feel cold at all.   
  
After quite a bit of coaxing and negotiating, Nicholas the pixie agreed not to try to escape. He would stay in the Guardian's house and basically stay out of the way if they let him out of his bottle. Lorelei had managed to convince the poor thing that the trolls and other pixies were indeed only using him for their own evil purposes, which was actually true. Nicholas was a very spirited character and was not at all gullible. But somehow Lorelei had struck a crucial nerve when she had mentioned the fairy's eyes.  
She explained the situation to Virginia later, in fuller detail. A pixie, when he or she reaches a certain age, will have his or her eyes changed in color from golden to black. It is a coming-of-age ritual which symbolizes the fairy's responsibilities as a complete member of the Pixies' society. It is, however, very possible to be denied this honor. If a fairy disobeys a serious law of some sort or offends the community in another way, it is up to the elders to decide whether or not that fairy will be given their eyes. In Nicholas's case, he did something dreadfully wrong when he didn't go for help while Relish and his men were being murdered by the Queen. So they didn't change his eyes from gold to black, and he had been an outcast ever since.  
Virginia would have tried to sympathize with Nicholas had there not been at least thirty thousand other issues on her mind at that moment. The thought had struck her the night before that the Loch Ness Monster was still waiting for them near the White Mirror at the bottom of the ocean. She strained her mind to remember what the Queen's conditions were.... The monster would wait near the Mirror until one of two things happened: they returned or there was a disappearance elsewhere. If there was a disappearance, it would smash the Mirror. Virginia had been terrified for several seconds until she realized the Guardian hadn't abducted anyone since they had been there. But she planned on going to him as soon as possible and telling him that he couldn't take anyone from the Kingdoms through a Mirror until they were safe and sound back underwater. Of course, it would be okay with her if he never took anyone through a Mirror ever again, but she had a feeling there wasn't much she could do about that.  
Her next big worry was about Patrick. She was afraid, and not ashamed to admit it to the Guardian or anyone else who dared to challenge her. She was afraid about her son being a seer. Maybe she didn't even believe it yet, but what else could she do? She was at a loss, confused and scared.   
Virginia sat in a corner of the Guardian's house, holding a bottle up to a hungry Patrick's mouth. He drank the milk greedily, and Virginia was again reminded of how much she had missed him. She held him tightly and was struck by the strange feeling that she was holding a power that was and would always be beyond her.  
Lorelei walked up to them quietly, Wolf trailing behind her. Virginia looked up at him and gave him a quick smile, trying to let him know that everything was all right. Of course, it wasn't, and they both knew it. But Wolf smiled back as confidently as he could.  
There you are, Lorelei whispered. I just went down to visit the Guardian, and he said that he was ready for Patrick now. She nodded toward Virginia and motioned for her to follow her downstairs.  
Virginia felt a sudden stab of anger. First of all, she didn't know what he wanted to do with Patrick, and that made her nervous and subsequently angry. Also, since when did the Guardian have any right to order them around like that? As if it didn't matter in the least whether Patrick was ready to see _him_ or not. She took a deep breath. They were all just going to have to live with it.  
Standing up, Virginia readjusted Patrick so that she could hold Wolf's hand and carry the baby at the same time. Walking like that, they made their way downstairs by following Lorelei. When they reached the dark chamber, Virginia saw the Guardian in almost the exact same position he had been in yesterday; sitting hunched over on his rickety old stool. His eyes were still horribly blank, revealing nothing. Seeing him like that, always confined to his own lonely world, Virginia almost, almost felt sorry for him. Wolf had told her about how he had to stay in the small room, or else the trolls would be able to find him, and no one knew what he would or could do if that happened. Still, nothing could ever make her forgive him for stealing her son.  
It is time.  
The Guardian's voice startled Virginia. She clung to Patrick even more tightly.  
Time for what? Wolf asked.  
The man took a shaky breath and let it out slowly, as if he was reluctant to let even this small part of himself go. Time for little Patrick to See.  
Virginia said it automatically, without skipping a beat.   
We have no choice, Virginia. He pronounced her name by accenting each syllable, and cast his terrible eyes on her. It may be too late already. He needs to tell us about the trolls' plans so that they can be defeated. That is the reason I took him in the first place, don't you see? To save the Kingdoms. Frowning, he stared at her. There is no reason to fear for him.  
she hissed, and leaned into Wolf for support. You told us yourself what happens to people who look into the future! It's so horrible that they can never do it more than once. And those are grown people! Patrick is a baby, and you want to do this to him? You monster! she screamed at him like she had wanted to ever since she had known that he was the one who had taken Patrick.  
You don't understand, the Guardian said with just as much venom. If he doesn't tell us about the troll army's plans, all of the Kingdoms will be destroyed.  
How do you know? Wolf demanded. Maybe Wendell's armies will be able to defeat them. Why do you assume they can't?  
They are not powerful enough; they don't have nearly enough men. The trolls and their allies will wipe them out simply by breathing on them if we do not know when, where, and how the trolls plan to attack.  
But how will Patrick help them? It won't matter if Wendell's troops know when they re getting wiped out if there's no question that they are, Virginia pointed out angrily.   
Lorelei interjected. But if we know where the trolls are at a certain time, then Iwe/I can help.  
Virginia and Wolf both froze. Virginia whispered, You're going to use your powers to kill the troll army.  
sighed the Guardian. Nothing, no one can withstand all the forces of the sky working against them. But we can't do that until we find out where they are. And the only way to find out where they are is-  
By using Patrick. Virginia bit her lip as tears stung her eyes. She blinked them back angrily. She was so confused! If it _was_ completely true, what the Guardian said, then it didn't seem as if they had much choice. How could she and Wolf write off thousands of lives to save their son from pain? Maybe it wasn't true, though. What reason did they have to trust the Guardian? But if he was telling the truth....   
_Why me?_, she couldn't help but think bitterly as Patrick wrapped a tiny fist around her finger. If he did what the Guardian wanted him to, he would never forget it. She couldn't ruin his life for him. It would kill her as well.  
The Guardian interrupted her thoughts. We were both wrong, you know, he said quietly, almost in a whisper. About there being no reason to fear. You were right. I was lying.  
Virginia listened silently, not understanding what his point was.  
Of course it is frightening for one to See into the future, where no other human eyes have yet looked. And yes, for so many people, to look at the wars to come is not an experience that they want to, or indeed can repeat. No child should bear that weight. I am not asking him to.  
Then what are you asking of us? Wolf questioned. Virginia feared the answer, and could feel her heart racing.  
As I am sure you have realized, Patrick is not going to be able to tell us anything about what he Sees in the future. Obviously, he cannot speak. But I have, long ago, heard of a way to understand what a mute Seer is experiencing without having to make that person talk. Someone very close to him in blood, one of his parents, for example, could receive the images that Seer is finding and forming. That is why it was very important for me to have you here, because Patrick cannot help anyone if he cannot communicate what he Sees. I know you don't understand that now, but listen.   
You have something in New York, the Guardian continued, I believe, called a radio. Basically, it picks up transmissions floating around in the air and changes them into something you can understand - music or words. Now, what I am saying is that Patrick would be like a radio. He would find the images of the troll army, wherever and whenever they are. To get those correct images of the future, the ones we want of the troll army, you would need to sort of tune him to the right frequency by making him think of trolls. Then, like a radio, he would pass the images right on to you without seeing or understanding them himself. He wouldn't have to actually see what he is Seeing. It would be painless for him. One of you, however, will have to receive the images and be willing to see whatever happens. Or would happen, if we were not going to intervene. I know it's confusing, but I don't know how to make it any clearer.  
Virginia was surprised to find that she did understand and was unusually calm about the whole ordeal. If Patrick was not going to be permanently scarred by seeing the massacre of thousands of people, then she didn't see anything stopping her from seeing it and thereby saving the Nine Kingdoms. Again.   
All right, I'll do it, she said with a confidence that was actually there.  
Wolf cried. I will. I don't want you seeing that any more than I want Patrick to.  
Please, Wolf, Virginia implored him. I can do it. I want to. I want to be there for him when he's... when.... She didn't know how to say it because she hadn't known yet that it had become real to her. She did believe it now, but she didn't know why. When he Sees it.  
Wolf looked at her sideways, a pleading look in his eyes. He really only wanted what was right for her, she knew.   
But this was another thing that she felt she had to do.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER TWENTY  


  
_ Silence.  
The valley where six thousand armed men and scattered horses stood was cloaked in a silence so thick it made breathing an effort. All was so still that not even the smallest insect dared to disturb the men, who were standing in rows straight as the horizon between sea and sky.   
King Wendell sat on his night-black horse at the very front of his men with his shoulders squared and his eyes forward. The General of Cinderella's army sat on his own horse several meters away from Wendell on the left. Similarly, the General of Rapunzel's large army sat to his right. They all looked very grim, as though each was noiselessly praying that they were making the right decision.  
As she watched, Virginia slowly realized that the terrible silence was only in her own mind. Patrick's sense of Sight was just that: the images he was Seeing (which were being directly passed on to her) did not come with sound. It was like watching television with the mute on. But, along with that realization came another: she_ knew _things about what she was seeing without actually being told. She knew that the men really were being silent. She knew that there was six thousand of them. And she knew that they were waiting for something. This knowing came along with the images- it was like a part of the Sight.  
Through her slightly fractured vision, Virginia could see (and knew) that Wendell was waiting for a signal from a scout who had been sent ahead twenty minutes ago. He had been dispatched to confirm the King's suspicion that the troll camp was indeed over the next mountain pass, in the field in front of the beanstalk Forest of the Third Kingdom, the same place where Wendell and the others had seen it when trying to get to the Sea. If the scout returned and said that they were not there.... well, Wendell had not considered that since he didn't see that the trolls had any reason to move the camp. But, in all likelihood, if the scout returned and reported that the camp was there, then the men would be moving in quickly for a surprise attack, as the first wave of the battle. Then they would send in the dragons.  
Dragons?! As this knowledge came into her mind, Virginia's heart leaped. Since when did Wendell and the Kingdoms have dragons on their side? That was wonderful! If they had dragons, maybe the people in Welkin wouldn't have to intervene after all. But then another fact presented itself to her : the trolls had evil dragons on their side, as well. That burst of hope went out of her. Which was more powerful, evil dragons or good ones? She didn't know, and neither did whatever force was telling her all these things. She just knew that Wendell's and the Kingdom's only real advantage now was the element of surprise. It wasn't much at all, she knew without being told.  
Wendell was beginning to get worried at what was taking the scout so long, when a figure on horseback appeared on a ridge ahead and to the right of the army. Their forms were silhouetted against the blood red sky by the setting sun. Somehow the color seemed horribly appropriate.   
The horse reared up on its hind legs and then started to gallop down the hillside to the valley where the entire army waited in barely contained excitement, and anguish.  
It was quite a sight ot see all the armies of the Kingdoms together as one. They all wore bluish gray uniforms with neat black boots and helmets. The members of different armies each wore different colored badges on their breast; green for Rupunzel, yellow for Cinderella, dark blue for Wendell. Behind them stood the relatively miniscule regiments of the Dwarves' , Red Riding Hood's, and Gretel's Kingdoms, in purple, red, and orange, respectively. Every soldier carried a spear on his shoulder, or a sword on his belt, and a shield at his side. Or her side, Virginia noticed. There were a good amount of women fighters mixed in with the males.  
As the exhausted looking scout approached Wendell, he waved to the King and nodded excitedly but without a smile. Wendell nodded back. Virginia had never seen him looking so serious and king like. When he turned his horse around and held out his arms as though to embrace and give comfort not only to_ his _troops, but to all of them, Virginia felt a sense of awe in seeing him this way that she had never felt before. Then he called something that Virginia could not hear to each General on his right and his left, and the entire army began to move as one.  
They marched toward the hill and gradually up it in perfect unison. When the front of the moving sea of men reached a probably pre-determined point on the hillside, the army began to split up into four almost equal sections and headed off in different directions. Virginia assumed that they were going to be attacking the field by coming at it from all four sides. It was indeed something to watch, and Virginia had a great view, as the Sight showed her the images from a bird's eye view. Yet sometimes the would zoom in on random people's faces, and then she could tell how very afraid but still brave many of them were. But it often kept switching back to Wendell's face, and there Virginia saw great fear, but fear that was covered by an even greater sense of selflessness for his people. That made her feel so proud of the King (whom she had just lately stopped thinking of as a dog), that if she hadn't been almost unconscious in her real body, she would have cried.   
Once the army had successfully split itself into four sections and each section was positioned at opposite sides of the field (one section had to stand in the beanstalk forest), they stood silently for one last minute. Wendell was in the section across from the forest and could best see the field. The Kingdoms' army was hidden behind the mountain, so the trolls in the valley were still unaware of their presence. Virginia remembered the sight of that field very well. There were tents strewn about all over the place, and everyone (or everything) was mulling around in a bored manner. Trolls smacked pixies out of their faces, and then the shining little fairies came back to punish them by biting the trolls on the ear. Huge hairy Sasquash sat around near cooking fires, chewing on some unknown meats. About a dozen giants in all were standing around, their heads looming high above those of all the other monstrous animals. It was almost surreal, seeing this odd assortment of powerful creatures all living together in that small area. And it looked almost the same as it had a few days before, when Virginia and the others had suddenly stumbled upon it. In fact, it looked exactly the same. Not a tent or a fire had been moved or put out, and even the beings themselves seemed not to have moved out of the vicinity they had paced long before. The giants were standing in almost the same positions, also. All this was rather strange, Virginia thought, but dismissed it from her mind.   
Wendell, who was obviously in charge of the whole army, took several deep breaths. He adjusted his sword in its scabbard and tipped his helmet further down over his eyes. Then, not really able to delay their descent onto the field any longer, he swung his arm behind him as motion to his men to follow him. The fate of many lives was contained in that one human gesture, and they all knew it. Still, nothing could now keep them from what they were about to do. One after the other, with an unheard roar, his men ran after their fearless leader and into battle.  
Each of the four parts of the army came next in rapid succession. They stormed onto the field with weapons upraised and mouths open in a silent war cry. All their fear was forgotten in that single moment, and each and everyone of them was prepared to die for their Kingdom.  
Nothing happened.  
Yes, they ran onto the field. Yes, their swords and spears sliced through the enemy. But the enemy didn't notice.   
Virginia's head spun with confusion, as did all the men's'. They were running straight through their opponents. A man thrust his sword into a Sasquash's heart. The animal kept walking, and all the soldier received for his efforts was a fistful of air. A horse and rider charged toward a giant. When they reached it, spear up-raised, they didn't stop but continued right on through until they reached the other side, and could look back and see the enormous man standing there, untouched. Even more unbelievable was when an ugly group of trolls walked directly into several soldiers and didn't even blink an eye when they strode right through them and materialized again on the other side. Virginia knew that it wasn't painful or uncomfortable for the men in any way: it was just as though their enemies simply were not there.  
Wendell and the generals threw up their hands and shouted at the men, supposedly for them to cease the pointless fighting. Everyone froze and looked around in disbelief. Wendell could not have looked more completely incredulous. They stood like that for almost a full minute as the trolls and Sasquash walked through them, the pixies flew into their eyes, and the giants stomped on them, all with no effect whatsoever to either side. It was just beginning to sink in that they had been tricked when the first red dragons appeared over the hillside.  
Virginia's blood ran cold in her veins. Just as she had known so much else about what she was seeing, she also knew without any doubt that these dragons were some of the most evil creatures ever to crawl the soil of the Kingdoms. Their wingspan must have been fifty feet, and what huge, ugly, scaly, awful wings they were! They were colored the same blood red as the sky over the setting sun, and the center of their immense eyes was also. They had short but muscular scaly legs which ended in shockingly large sharp claws, flexing like a cat's. Their tails stretched out behind them like long whips, slashing so fast across the air that she guessed they could have made a cracking sound. And their heads, frightfully big in proportion to their bodies, seemed to invite a horrible amount of cunning and intelligence. Foul fire escaped from their nostrils every so often in short bursts, and was also exhaled through their gaping mouths lined with razor-sharp teeth. As they closed in on the field, twenty of them in all, it seemed that nothing in any hell could scare the soldiers more.  
Except that combined with what they saw next. Under the dragons' beating wings and ugly bodies, on the ridge across the top of the hill slowly, like spilled molasses, appeared the trolls' army. Against her will, Virginia's vision began to close in on the faces of the vile creatures lining the crest of the hills. They were the same faces as those which were walking through the Kingdom soldiers at that very moment, but they were real. Elves and trolls, Sasquash and giants, every one of them smiling in the most nauseating way. Then Virginia saw the face of Burly the troll, now called King Burly, and his siblings Blabberwort and Bluebell. On Burly's face was the most repulsive expression of all. It was of arrogance and total glee at his already assured victory. It would not have been so repelling if he had not been completely correct in his assumption that he was about to wipe out the Kingdoms' last hope.  
Suddenly the hologram (for Virginia's senses had told her that was what it was) disappeared and the soldiers were left utterly alone. Bravely, like drowning men without any hope left, they steeled their shoulders and held their swords and spears high. Now, quite apart from being willing to die, everyone of them knew they were going to die. And each wanted to take some troll scum down with them.   
Hardly anyone noticed when the beautiful gold dragons appeared over the rise and started to fight the red dragons in a flurry of wings and claws. A few less dragons on either side was of little concern to any of them. Even the evil dragons outnumbered the good ones now. As the first of the enemy charged down the hillside, laughing and whooping in the thrill of a battle already won, Virginia's vision began to blur with her tears.   
The two lines of armies hit each other with sickening force. The front of Wendell's army fought courageously for several seconds, spurts of troll and Sasquash blood forming satisfying little fountains. But then the human blood ran far more than that of the other foul creatures', as trolls forced their way through the lines of soldiers. They carelessly stabbed soldiers one after the other with bloody swords, as giants stamped out three men with one footfall. The loathsome elves tore at men's eyes and bit the horses mercilessly until they fell with their riders still clinging to them. If the screams and groans of the men and women could have been heard, the sound would have been worse than that of any nightmare.   
Just as Virginia could not stand it any more, her vision singled out a lone man on horseback in the center of the fray. She knew immediately that it was Wendell, and her heart screamed in agony. If only she could close her eyes! But no, she was forced to watch as Burly the Troll King stepped closer to the King of the Fourth Kingdom as he was thrown from his panicked horse. Then, as he struggled to get to his feet to fight again, King Wendell was stabbed in the back by the grinning troll and fell dead to the blood-stained ground._   
  
Virginia wrenched her eyes open and fell to the floor. She screamed and sobbed until there was nothing left inside her. Wolf ran over to her and held her exhausted, limp form until she was ready to sit by herself. He handed Patrick to her, who had just woken up from his trance at the same moment she had, and didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on.  
I knew I shouldn't have let you do this! Wolf said angrily, but he didn't look at her. Instead he glared at the Guardian and Lorelei, who were sitting and standing in the corner.  
It is done now, the Guardian said without emotion.  
But Virginia knew that it would never be done, never be over. She would relive those moments in her mind whenever she closed her eyes at night. It would be a long time before any of it was forgotten. She was only glad that Patrick was not put through it.  
The Guardian slowly rose to his feet. With Lorelei's help, he hobbled over to Virginia and lifted her chin to look into his eyes. Before she would have recoiled at the sight of his blank, white eyes, but at that moment nothing could horrify her.  
Tell us what you Saw, he whispered. Where did it happen?  
She took several deep breaths to calm her heart, which was still pounding wildly. On the field, in front of the beanstalk forest. They thought they were going in for a surprise attack, but when they reached the field... it was only an illusion, a hologram. The camp wasn't real, I guess it never had been. But then Burly had them right where he wanted them -surrounded, without escape. There were dragons, on both sides. But we were outnumbered in every way possible. There was no hope.... Her eyes wandered, unseeing. Even Wendell was killed.  
Lorelei ordered. Stop thinking of it in past tense. This is what _would_ be occurring, if we were not going to help. Now, the most important question: When is this battle going to happen?   
Virginia reached far back into her memory of the event. All she had Seen concerning the time of the battle was that it was at evening. But then she remembered a fact that she had simply known, along with so many other bits of knowledge that had just come to her. And there was no doubt in her mind that she was right, although the answer petrified her.   
Tonight. In less than an hour.  
  


  



	5. Chapters Twenty-One - Epilogue

  


CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  


The bright but not warm afternoon sun hung low over the Third Kingdom. Underneath the tall tree-like beanstalks in the notorious forest, however, it may as well have been night. No light leaked through to the ground beneath the stalks, whose high canopy was perpetually covered in a thick blanket of clouds.  
Acrotis walked quietly across the soft earth of the forest floor. Although the smell of the forest was not pleasant, her bare feet were grateful for the relief of the cool soil. After walking, sometimes snatching a ride on a passing wagon, nonstop for almost two whole days, her thin shoes meant for palace wear had been torn to shreds. She was starved, thirsty, and fatigued but not disheartened in the least. She knew that she was closer now with every step; closer to the Northern Lands and to the army of the Troll King Burly, whom she was going to warn of the Guardian and Virginia's pathetic plans. Then she would be rid of them, and all the Kingdoms, forever! She smiled and her step quickened, even as she tripped on the torn hem of her once beautiful blue dress.  
Suddenly she heard a noise. Halting her jogging pace, Acrotis lifted her head to listen better. The sound was coming from above her. It was of scratching and scraping, as if someone was trying to climb down a beanstalk from up high. As she listened more intently, she heard hushed voices along with the other sounds of climbing. Deep, gruff voices mingled with high, piercing ones, all obviously trying to whisper in their own pitch. And then gradually there were more scraping sounds, and more voices, until it seemed that there were thousands of people clinging to the beanstalks above her who were about to descend.  
A few seconds later, she found that all this was indeed happening. As Acrotis watched, giants appeared out of the clouds, clutching onto the beanstalks for dear life and inching their way down as carefully as possible. Soon flocks of flying elves came flitting down gradually, sometimes stopping to rest by grabbing a beanstalk with their tiny arms and hanging there. After the giants and intermingled with the elves came the trolls and Sasquash, distinguishable from each other only because the Sasquash were taller and more hairy, though both species of creatures were unquestionably ugly. In the semi-darkness, they looked like so many demons coming down into the underworld.  
Acrotis could barely contain her excitement. Finding the troll army had certainly not proved as difficult as she had thought it would! She had never considered that they would be hiding in the giants' land, but it did seem like a very practical solution. The army had been camped in the Northern Lands up until a very few days ago, she guessed, and then had secretly moved to the beanstalk forest. Then they had climbed to the giants' part of the sky (which had always been quite removed from Welkin's part) and stayed there so that they would be near to their holographic camp but undetected. That way, if the Kingdom armies planned a surprise attack, which they undoubtedly would, the trolls' army would be close to their fake camp, but of course not in it, when they came. Then when the Kingdom army stormed the camp, they would have them right where they wanted them: stuck in the valley with no means of escape. It was a good plan, Acrotis thought, one that didn't seem worthy of a troll's mind. She was very glad they had thought of it, though - she had not been looking forward to hiking all the way up to the Northern Lands.   
She spotted Burly the Troll King as soon as he stepped off a particularly thick beanstalk and onto the ground. He wore an uncanny amount of leather, more than all the rest of his troll minions, if that seemed possible. The King was completely decked out from head to foot in weaponry ; several horribly twisted pieces of metal hung from a chain at his neck, five differently- sized knives were unsheathed and attached to his belt , and welded to his thick black leather gloves were short iron spikes. All he had to do was shake someone's hand to cause them serious bodily harm, and Acrotis was sure he liked it that way. Next to him and all the other monsters surrounding her, Acrotis looked desperately pale and fragile.   
Your majesty! she cried suddenly, disturbing the hushed mood of the group. She realized too late that they were all trying to make as little noise as possible, for fear of alerting any scouts of the Kingdoms that might be lurking around. Acrotis cringed as every head turned toward her with scornful eyes.   
I'm sorry, she whispered to everyone. Trying to ignore their piercing stares, she ran over to King Burly. He was staring at her, too, obviously surprised. Acrotis only hoped that he was pleasantly surprised, but something told her this was not so.  
Who are you? he spat in an angry whisper, flexing his hands in their deadly gloves for emphasis.   
Acrotis paused. How was she going to tell him that she was of a race of people who lived in the clouds and were about to destroy him using the forces of weather? She should have thought about how she was going to phrase herself before, but now it was too late. She would just tell him the whole truth.  
My name is Acrotis, your majesty, she began. I am, or was, from a place called Welkin, a city in the clouds. But I was exiled, and now I have come to you to help you win your war and gain revenge for myself.  
She stopped, but Burly gave her no response, except for the deepening of his frown. Most of the creatures around were watching them now. Some had stopped their descent from the beanstalks to stay quiet and listen. Increasingly nervous, Acrotis hurriedly continued.  
The people in Welkin are very powerful. More powerful than any of the armies of the Kingdoms, and more powerful than you.  
Now the King stiffened, and there were angry whispers among the people/ animals in the trees.  
They are planning to destroy you, and when they find out when you are attacking and where, they will kill you all.  
Several seconds of silence followed this weighted statement. Then suddenly, to Acrotis's surprise and dismay, the forest rang with Burly's harsh laughter. The rest of the army hesitantly joined in.   
You mean to tell me, the troll said between snickers, that our army, the greatest army on the face of this earth, is about to be defeated by your _imaginary_ people in the clouds? He grinned widely, showing his rotting teeth. Go suck an elf.  
Acrotis cried in distress. It's true! They have a Seer, Virginia's son, who is telling them all your secret -  
Acrotis found herself on the ground so fast she didn't know what had happened, until she reached up to her face and her hand came away bloody.  
Now I know you are lying, King Burly hissed at her, bringing his spiked glove back down to his side again. All his minions in the stalks and on the ground cried in outrage and slinked closer to where she lay in pain.  
Virginia is the witch because of whom this war started, I'll have you kindly remember, he sneered, breathing on her threateningly. She's the one who killed my powerful father and our mighty Queen! If you are telling me, and this entire army, that a piece of refuse she calls her son could possibly be a _Seer_, the creatures surrounding her laughed menacingly, then there is nothing else to be assumed except that you have sympathized with her and her wretched family.  
You're wrong! Acrotis shouted, eyes wide. I hate them as much as you do! That's exactly why I'm telling you all -  
No, I don't think so, Burly said with satisfaction. I think, no, I _know_, that you are a spy come to play the part of a helpless little girl (which you obviously are anyway) to rob the Trolls' of their right for eternal victory and glory. He narrowed his eyes at her and raised his spiked hand. I will tell you right now that I am not going to let you succeed.  
Acrotis was smart enough to realize that there was no point in protesting. They were all blood thirsty, caught up in the excitement of the coming battle. Nothing she said anymore would get through to them at all. The wound in her cheek, sliced by the spikes on the Troll King's hand, still stung like it was on fire. When Burly's upraised hand came down on her again, she had every intention of dodging it and running for all she was worth, although that probably would not get her very far anyway. She was completely surrounded with monsters ready to kill her without hesitation.  
But the blow did not come. Instead, as Acrotis stared at Burly with panic evident on her fair face and her muscles tensed to sprint away, the King's hand came slowly to his own neck. His thick fingers closed around a strangely shaped bone attached to a strand of leather, which he brought slowly to his lips.  
The sound that the whistle created was unlike any Acrotis had heard before. It was a high, mournful wailing sound like a banshee would make. But there was more power wove into it, as though if someone didn't know any better they would be compelled to stand up and follow the noise until they found the source.  
In the seconds following the lone note played by the whistle, Acrotis again heard something coming down from the sky above the beanstalk forest. This time, however, it was not the sounds of climbing. It was the air being stirred by the wing beats of many huge animals coming down into the darkness.  
She knew it was the dragons before she saw them. Along with that realization came fear like she had never known, the rare kind of gripping fear that only the doomed can experience.   
The red dragons landed on the ground on all sides of her, where the rest of the army had hurriedly made room for them. They were surprisingly quiet on their huge wings, the size of which knocked the breath out of everyone present, even those who had seen them many times before. They filled up the cramped space between the beanstalks like elephants would fill an apartment building. Smoke and flame billowed from their nostrils and singed anyone foolish enough to stay too close. Blood red scales flowed up and down their backs and through their whip like tails. But what Acrotis noticed was their dinosaur-like teeth and claws, appallingly sharp and big... and close.  
Now you will see how Burly the Troll King handles his enemies, the brute said in a voice that would have been a gleeful shout if the situation allowed, but instead was a strained whisper. He smiled wildly and motioned toward Acrotis as he turned to the dragons. Eat her.  
Acrotis tried to rise to her feet, but she tripped backwards over a root sticking up out of the ground, which gave the creatures in the trees more opportunity to jeer at her and cheer the dragons on. She couldn't have run far anyway, and deep down she knew it, but desperately she knew nothing but the need for escape. This time, however, escape was not possible.   
All she could think with her frenzied mind was that she had failed. _Hundreds of years of work, and it will end in this!_  
The scream was caught in her throat as twenty hungry titans circled and ultimately consumed the once-powerful woman who had finally met her match.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  


  
In Welkin, there was complete and utter turmoil. The city had less than half an hour to prepare the storm of the millennium and set it loose on the greatest and most evil threat ever to plague the Kingdoms. Tempers were running high.  
Where's Tony? Wolf asked Virginia with more than a little exasperation in his voice. I haven't seen him for hours.  
I don't know, Virginia answered, scanning the huge expanse of rolling clouds that was the area between the edge of the city and the beginning of battle stations'. But he had better show up soon because he has Patrick and I want to be with him when this storm starts. The last time I saw them was in Lorelei's house.  
Wolf sighed. I'd better go back and get him. You know he'll never come out of that place on his own if there's danger outside.  
Virginia was going to protest to this attack on her father, but she realized that it was very true and said nothing. You might as well.  
A few minutes later, after a frantic search for the right house, Wolf found Tony, Patrick and Nicholas the elf sitting at a table inside and talking. He ran in and broke up the party, with a frown at Tony who just gave him a sly grin.  
What could you possibly be smiling about... Wolf asked him incredulously when he was still grinning later as they walked back toward Virginia. Nicholas had flown off somewhere in the other direction. ... when the fate of all the Kingdoms rests right now on a crazy old man, and we could all quite possibly be killed, and.... Cripes, stop it, you're scaring me!  
But Tony kept right on smiling, and the only thing that finally wiped the smirk off his face was Virginia's expression when they reached her.   
We have to hurry, she said urgently as they approached, taking Patrick from Wolf's arms. They're about to start....  
Half walking and half running, the four started for battle stations, and the almost - invisible city completely disappeared behind them. Virginia couldn't see more than a few feet in front or to any side of her, but she kept her eyes ahead and tried not to think that she could get lost again. Lorelei had assured her that all she had to do to get to battle stations was walk in a straight line away from the edge of city. Virginia didn't know anything about what the battle stations actually were, but she just hoped she could find them anyway.  
Gradually she began to realize that the cloud was thinning. From her earlier walk when she had lost herself in the clouds and found the spot where she could look out over the Kingdoms, she recognized that there was more light coming through the mist than normal.   
she ordered Wolf and Tony. Holding Patrick tightly, Virginia inched through the haze. All at once she was no longer standing in the cloud, but at the very edge of the clear force field that made it possible for them to walk. When she looked down she could see, for miles below where she was standing, the green of the Kingdoms and blue of the sea. It looked very much like she was standing on nothing at all, over the land so far below. She sucked in her breath slowly and took a large step backwards. Patrick's eyes widened and he clutched his mother in fear.  
What is it? Wolf asked. He and Tony came closer and joined her at the end of the cloud.  
Tony whistled in surprise. I didn't know we were _that_ high up.  
Virginia didn't answer. She was looking across to the clouds parallel to the one they were on. What she saw surprised her almost as much as suddenly finding herself standing on nothing at all over miles of empty space.  
It was, she supposed, the battle stations, but it was not what she had been expecting. Scattered all over the sky, for almost as far as her eyes could see, there were hundreds of little puffy white clouds. The clouds were lined up in straight rows, diagonally back and forth, each one carefully spaced. And on each cloud was a person. Men and women, old and young, hundreds of people on hundreds of clouds. The women wore long white dresses like Lorelei's, and the men wore white garments covered by cloaks. It was difficult to differentiate between person and cloud.   
So that's where everyone in the city was this whole time, Wolf said. They were camped out here.  
And now it's time for them to work, Virginia added. But the sky is still blue. We're not too late.  
The sky _was_ blue. From so high up, it was a deeply rich blue, and the sun was shining almost blindingly bright. It was hard to imagine what was about to happen.  
Virginia could see that far away, at the front of all the people and where they were turned toward, stood the only figure that was cloaked in brown. Even from such a long distance, she recognized him as the Guardian. He looked stronger and taller than she had ever seen him before, ready to lead his people into battle. Next to him was a single woman standing on her own cloud. The woman looked up and saw Virginia, Wolf, Tony and Patrick, and started moving toward them on her cloud. The way she rode on it made Virginia think of a flying carpet. Lorelei swooped up gracefully to where they were standing at the edge of the force field and stood with her arms crossed. She looked at them, raised her eyebrows, and frowned.  
I really don't know what to do with you, she said in an irritated tone. Before, whenever we've had the Seers here during a storm they've stayed in the city, where it was safe. She stared at them pointedly, but when none of them, not even Tony, made any move to leave back for the city, she sighed and went on.   
Fine. If you really must see this, I guess I'll have to put up a temporary force field around all of you. Humans (including half-wolves) simply cannot be in a cloud during a thunderstorm without protection. Certainly not during a storm that's as bad as this one is going to be. Lorelei looked at them again for a moment, and suddenly her tone softened as her eyes rested on baby Patrick. Don't worry, she said, allowing herself a smile. It will all be over soon.   
With that, she raised her hands into an arch and spoke a few strange words. The next second, Virginia found herself and her family in a transparent dome that she could see out of clearly. When she touched the surface, however, the substance swirled and twisted but did not break, and snapped back to its original form with a sound like splashing water. She knew that nothing could penetrate the dome, and that they couldn't escape either.   
Tony called after Lorelei just before she sped away on her cloud again. How will we breathe? We'll run out of air!  
You have breathing rings, she called, rolled her eyes, and headed off in the direction of the Guardian again.  
Virginia had almost forgotten about the golden breathing ring on her finger. Quickly she checked Patrick's hands for one, and found a tiny ring there on his right ring finger. He must have had one anyway, she thought, because no human could breathe in the high altitude air without a ring.  
Lorelei moved again to her place beside the Guardian. From the bubble, Virginia could see them conversing with each other. Then the Guardian turned to his people, who were waiting patiently and began to speak. The four observers in the bubble could hear him clearly. Strangely, the force field dome did not block the sound at all.  
People of Welkin, he shouted, his voice somehow made louder so that the ones on clouds in the far back, thousands of feet away, could hear him, The time is now.  
In total unison, the hundreds of people raised their hands. The power in that movement was phenomenal. Virginia was grateful for her dome of protection. Any one of those people could change so much with their powers, could alter the lives of many. Luckily they knew how to use their powers for good, but still they were frightening, all together in one place, about to let loose their magic and storm upon the world....   
  
The horse stirred nervously beneath him and kicked at the ground. Not for the first time that day, Wendell wondered about the accountability of his steed. It was a horse he had not ridden before, a beautiful jet black one that was supposedly one of the strongest in Rapunzel's possession. But, perhaps that was a bad point, too, the simple fact that it belonged to Queen Rapunzel. He would certainly not be riding one of _her_ horses, if only he had not volunteered his own favorite horse to the scout who had been sent ahead, bragging that it was the fastest in the Kingdoms. Wendell, sadly enough, had not a single extra horse to spare amongst his whole army, which left him in the piteous position of having to ask to borrow one, and Rapunzel was the first to have volunteered her service. Well, he would make the best of it anyway.  
An alarmingly large fly buzzed across his face. As he swatted it away, Wendell's hand bumped into his nose. He groaned and looked down in shame. Almost, for half a second, he had forgotten about the unspeakable humility known as his nose. It was still long and stretched out by the lie he had told in Pinocchio's town. Every time Wendell chanced to look in a mirror, he gritted his teeth and walked on staring at the floor. Hardly anyone had said a thing, but he saw how they all gave him more than a passing glance, and looked at each and smiled when he walked by. What was it with him and magic curses that caused him to become so nauseating? First he was a dog and now... the nose problem. After this war was finished he would be able to take some of the antidote from the trolls, if such a thing existed; he wasn't sure it did. And that was only if he managed to live through the war, of course, which in itself was more than questionable.  
P He was sitting on his horse at the very front and center of the army. That meant that he would have the privilege of being the very first soldier into battle. _Oh, joy, rapture!_ he thought. But in truth he was proud to be able to lead his Kingdom, and all the Kingdoms, into the most important battle they had ever known.   
The scout returned, riding Wendell's own horse. Enviously, he watched it gallop gracefully down the hillside to where the entire army stood silently in the valley. When the scout reached him, Wendell immediately noticed the expression on his young face, excitement and courage and terror all rolled into one. He supposed it was the same expression that could be read on his own face at that moment. The scout nodded, an effort to say that the troll camp was still in the valley, and that they had to face them. There was no turning back now.   
Slowly but surely, in the heat that had baked the earth all day and was just now beginning to ebb, in the blinding light of the setting sun, the army made its way up the hillside. An occasional breeze whipped the soldier's hair and cooled their faces, but overall the air was still and the sky blue, except in places where it was painted by the setting sun. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, save for a few puffy white ones hovering on the horizon.  
Presently Wendell gave the two generals on his right and left the signal to break off into separate groups. Each group went to a different side of the field, north, south, east and west. It took a few minutes for everyone to get into position. When they finally did, Wendell found himself in an unlucky position at the front of the section to the east of the field. The brilliantly bright setting sun was shining directly in his eyes. He tipped the rim of his helmet further down over his face to block the light. The black horse was for once standing still as Wendell gripped the reins, silent like all the rest of the army.   
This is it, then, King Wendell murmured under his breath. He turned around in the saddle to look back at his army, and imagined how many of them were going to live to see the next day.   
Prompted by a single motion of his arm, Wendell's army followed him over the crest of the hill and down the slope into the valley where the trolls were waiting. In unison they let out a cry that could be heard miles and miles away, so that people in villages nearby looked up from their work and wondered what all the noise was about. They ran onto the field from all four sides with spears and swords upraised, and didn't even notice at first when the trolls, giants, Sasquash, and pixies didn't do so much as blink an eye.  
Wendell, being one of the first on the field, was also one of the first to realize what was happening. He and the other generals on horseback exchanged bewildered glances.  
Wendell cried to the men, and the other generals repeated the order. Everyone froze and looked around incredulously. They were walking right through the enemy. It was like a field full of ghosts.   
Wendell's midnight-black horse trotted through an ugly Sasquash and a fairy flew right into his eyes. Wendell had no idea what was happening, but he knew it wasn't good. Somehow, in a way he wasn't quite sure of, they had been tricked.   
The king heard a noise like strong wind and looked up. What he saw along the edge of the field on the crests of the hills nearly made him fall off his horse. The red dragons hovered there, beating their insanely huge wings against the air and waving their long tails behind them so they made sounds like cracking whips. Their savage eyes gazed fearlessly, hungrily at the aghast soldiers. Even though Wendell knew that the trolls had dragons, he had no idea that they were going to look like this. The gold dragons were still waiting behind so they could come later as a second wave of troops (that plan was being torn into a million pieces), but even when they came, Wendell was having doubts that they were a match for these evil monsters.   
Before anyone in the Kingdoms' army in the valley could do so much as catch their breath, the trolls, giants, Sasquash, and pixies appeared under the dragons with maniacal grins on all their faces.  
At this point, three things happened at once. First: All the soldiers in the valley lost any shred of hope they had had for winning. Second: The hologram that was walking through the soldiers flickered and died. And, finally, third: An enormous bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, followed instantly by a deafening thunderclap.  
Everyone, Kingdom soldiers, troll soldiers, and dragons alike, looked up. The sky that had without question been a perfect, bright blue only moments before was now blanketed by dark, ominous storm clouds. A cold winterish wind, even though it was late summer, swept through the valley and chilled the soldiers to the bone. This was almost more perplexing than the holographic army, Wendell thought.   
Suddenly, as thunder roared against their ears, a second lightning bolt split the sky. This time it touched the ground at the top of the corner of one of the hills. But it didn't stop there. The living bolt of electricity started to move across the top of the mountain, and in its wake there stood a fifty - foot high wall of... of something that was clear and shimmered like water. The lightning, making a frightening crackling sound, continued along the crest of the hills until it had completely walled in Wendell and his army with the strange barrier. Then it started to close up the top of the huge box it had made to hold them by spiraling around the top until it created a dome. Then the freakish lightning disappeared, and everyone blinked a couple of times to make sure they were actually seeing what they thought they were seeing. The Kingdoms' army was now cut off and protected from the trolls' army and dragons by the strange water like substance, but they could still hear and see everything that was going on outside. The trolls, Sasquash, giants, elves, and dragons had recovered from their shock and were now trying angrily to break through the transparent wall to their enemy, but nothing they tried worked. The giants kicked it, the trolls stabbed it, and the dragons flamed it, but the wall simply twisted and reformed itself under their vicious attack.  
Wendell and all the others in the valley didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Apparently they had been saved, but by whom and for how long? They could do nothing but wait and see.  
They didn't have to wait long. Several seconds later, the rain began. It started as few drops that splashed against the roof and sides of their clear shelter, seeming to become a part of the water- like substance but actually running off it and down to the troll army's feet. Quickly those few drops turned into a heavy downpour, and the smiles of the soldiers inside the dome grew wider as everyone outside started to curse and howl in fury.  
It was unbelievable how fast the rain came down. In only three minutes, the troll army was up to its knees in rainwater (except, of course, for the giants). The elves and dragons had to land because of the powerfully strong wind, and because the air was practically a wall of falling water that was impossible to fly through. After another minute when the rain came down with even more force, they decided that something had to be done or they would all drown. So, they all ran back toward the beanstalk forest as fast as their legs (or wings) could carry them, planning supposedly to climb up the stalks and go back where they came from.  
Now Wendell and his army were officially rejoicing, as the water level outside the dome climbed to over their heads. It was the most powerful flood the Kingdoms had ever seen, and probably would ever see again.  
And then another huge bolt of lightning came down, and over the tops of the hills they could see it reach into the beanstalk forest, which was stretching now into the dark storm clouds. Seconds later, smoke started to rise from the forest and soon after full-fledged flames appeared. Impossibly, in the torrential downpour, when everything outside under the sky was soaking wet and utterly opposed to fire, the home of the trolls, the beanstalk forest and the Third Kingdom, was burning to the ground.  
Wendell simply stared. In a matter of seconds and in some remarkably unusual way, the war had just been won.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  


  
  
For several terrifying seconds, Virginia wasn't sure if she was alive or dead. All she could see was blackness, and all there was to be heard was the distant rumblings of thunder. She soon realized, though, that everything was dark because her eyes were squeezed shut, and once they were open she relaxed quite a bit. Still, it was dark, but above could be seen stars and a half-full moon.  
She was still safe inside the clear dome, and Patrick was curled up in her arms, whimpering. As Virginia hugged him tightly, she saw that Wolf and Tony's faces were pale with wide eyes and Tony was taking deep breaths. She supposed that she looked much the same.  
I guess it's over, Wolf said. His voice sounded strange as he broke the silence that always prevails after a storm.   
Apparently, it _was_ over, but the results of what the people in Welkin had done were everywhere. First of all, when Virginia dared to glance down, she could see that they were certainly not in the same place as they had been when the storm started. All Virginia could see below was blackness, specked here and there by white, but not the white of fires or lamps; white like the crests of waves. They had been blown all the way to the ocean by the tremendous winds from the storm. But was it the Great Northern Sea, or the Great Southern one, or another body of water altogether? Far away to one side a strip of land could be seen reflecting the moonlight, but it was much too dark and too distant to determine what Kingdom it was.   
And the straight, orderly rows of people that had been near Virginia before the storm started were no more. Now they were scattered all over the sky, each person standing on his or her own cloud. If it was daytime, they could have been seen far away in the distance, many of them clustered near the land, and beyond where the eye could reach some of them were still working. It would be a while before each and every person was back in Welkin safe and sound. In fact, where was Welkin? Did it even exist anymore, or had it been torn to pieces by the wind like every other cloud in the sky?   
Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Patrick themselves were sitting in their dome on a cloud barely big enough for them. Where the rest of the huge cloud they had been on before had gone, no one could tell. None of them had been overly aware of their surroundings during the storm. They had all tried to block out the deafening thunder and the lightning that struck their own small dome more than once. They had all wished to be safe back in Welkin at the time, but now that Welkin's fate was unsure, they were glad that they had decided against staying in the city. And Virginia, for one, was glad that no matter what happened, they were together. After so much time spent away from Patrick, she still didn't feel afraid of much now that they were all together again.  
And yet... the dark, churning waves so far below didn't do much as far as lifting their spirits. In fact, it was downright scary.  
Tony piped up nervously, How are we planning on getting back to... anywhere?  
Good question, Wolf said miserably, peering out over the side of the cloud. I wish I knew the answer. He kicked the side of the dome in exasperation, but it didn't yield to his angry foot.  
There's nothing to do but wait until Lorelei comes back for us, Virginia said. We can't get out of this dome thing, and even if we could, where would we go? Nowhere, of course, but the thought weighed heavily on all their minds: What if Lorelei didn't come back?  
I'm hungry, Wolf mumbled, but resigned himself to staring out the watery surface of the dome. Tony rubbed his eyes, stretched out his legs, leaned back against the side of the bubble and crossed his arms across his chest. Virginia, after watching them both for a couple seconds and sighing, situated Patrick in her lap and started rocking him gently to sleep. He had stopped whimpering and was now yawning. It was difficult to tell what time of night it was, but in any case they were all tired. Patrick's yawning became contagious and in a short time Virginia was fast asleep.  
When she woke much later it was light again, and the sun was beginning to climb to the top of the sky. She had fallen over onto Wolf's shoulder during the night, and Tony was spread out on the floor. The morning sun was starting to beat down on their backs and heat them up very quickly. It was a relief from the cool night air but Virginia was afraid that they would bake in the direct sun later in the day. The dome offered little or no protection. She decided to worry about it later, though. Patrick and Tony were still sleeping, but Wolf was awake, staring out over the ocean. When he noticed Virginia looking at him, he smiled.  
he whispered, pointing to a spot on the ocean close but far below them. Virginia sat up and did as she was told. Jumping gracefully, with the bright sun shining off their backs, was a pod of dolphins. They were hard to see because they were so far away, but the sleek, beautiful bodies were unmistakable. Virginia grinned. There was something about dolphins that always made her happy.  
Keep watching, Wolf ordered. She did, but all she could see were the leaping dolphins. A few seconds later, though, something else caught her eye. Near the edge of the group there was a creature other than a dolphin swimming along, and even from so far away she recognized a mermaid.  
she breathed, watching the beautiful sight. The mermaid hung onto one of the dolphins' backs and they swam together like one being. They continued to leap and jump with the sun shining around them until suddenly the whole group dived along with the mermaid and they were gone.  
Virginia turned away with something like awe. That was beautiful.  
Wolf agreed. And it also means that we're above the Northern Sea. That type of mermaid, the same kind that helped us, only live here in the North. I think that means we're closer to Wendell, too.  
Virginia nodded. But that wouldn't help them if they didn't get out of their bubble in the sky first.  
They sat in silence for a while. In a short time, Tony woke up. It seemed to take him several seconds to realize where he was, and when he did his face fell. Patrick woke also, and Wolf started to play with him to keep both of them occupied. Virginia stared at the land. It looked like it had gotten farther away during the night, and it probably had. She knew there was a light wind, as she could see it stirring the waves so far below. It was moving them away, too.  
It seemed like hours they sat there, with the sun beating down on them. Virginia, for one, was getting thirsty, watching the water of the ocean and having nothing to drink herself. She felt like she was stranded in a desert, instead of stranded over an ocean. She was beginning to wonder vaguely at how the two were so different and yet alike, and thinking that if something didn't happen soon they were all going to die of boredom if not thirst, when she noticed two somethings at once.  
One was Lorelei, speeding toward their cloud at a breakneck pace, and trailing behind her the Guardian. And the other was.... Dragons!  
They were flying to them from the increasingly distant land, and they were a sight to behold. Four gigantic dragons, beating their scaly wings against the air in defiance, as if they refused to believe that creatures as big as they didn't normally take flight. The armored plates on their tails and bodies shimmered in the sunlight, shimmered gold. Their teeth and claws were clean, sharp, and larger than life. But even more amazing and frightening than all this were their eyes, deep and intelligent, eyes that if you stared into them too long you could get lost forever. Virginia watched them come closer with not so much fear as a profound respect.  
The Gold dragons, Lorelei, and the Guardian all reached their dome at about the same time. The entire bubble that Virginia, Wolf, Tony, and Patrick were in was the size of one dragon's clawed hand. The dragon that was apparently in charge hovered closest to the dome and in front of the others. Lorelei and the Guardian hovered on the other side.   
Lorelei was very white and she trembled as she lifted a hand and spoke a few magic words to drop the dome of protection, and the four inside it gratefully stood up. She never took an eye off the dragons, though, and her other hand held the Guardian's. After several silently tense seconds during which the dragons continued to beat their wings and let puffs of smoke escape from their nostrils and showed no signs of wishing to speak, if they even could, the Guardian addressed the head dragon in a small but steady voice.  
What do you mean by this, Tamun-Ra?  
Virginia started and looked at the Guardian incredulously. You know him? she couldn't help but ask.  
Yes, Virginia, the dragon called Tamun-Ra spoke. Now Virginia really started, not only because the dragon knew her name, but because his voice was so overpowering it made her stop and catch her breath.  
We know each other very well, and have for a long time, Tamun-Ra told her, but looked at the Guardian, who looked straight back with blank eyes. And what I mean by this, by coming here, Guardian, is to take these weary travelers home.  
You cannot. The Guardian did not hesitate, and his voice was unwavering. They must not leave here.  
Tamun-Ra sighed, and the warm rushing air from his sigh almost blew the four on the cloud into the ocean hundreds of feet below. Please, Guardian. We all appreciate what you have done for us and we are forever in you debt. But you must be reasonable. The King wants his friends home.  
You think I fear the King? the old man demanded. I could kill him, and you, with a wave of my hand.  
No one doubts that, the dragon said with a low rumble in his throat. But -   
And you think I want your debt? he went on. There is nothing you can give me that I couldn't get myself. But these people cannot leave here. They know too much. They would spew the secret of Welkin and the White Mirror all over the Kingdoms, and that is one thing I would not be able to prevent - all manner of creatures coming up here and asking for our powers when I don't want to or couldn't give them anything.... they would ruin our peaceful life here.  
Again, Virginia blurted out, But we wouldn't! We would never let anyone know if you didn't want us to tell!  
How can I believe you? the Guardian asked, fixing her with his stare.  
There was a pause, and Tamun- Ra said, Can't you Hear it?  
The Guardian froze.   
Hear what? Tony started to say, but Wolf elbowed him. Virginia was staring at the Guardian, and Patrick... Patrick was grinning.  
All at once, Virginia knew what he was listening for. For something in the future, the not to distant future, that would tell him that if he let them go they wouldn't ruin his people's lives. He went into a trance, the same kind that Patrick had fallen into when he Saw for Virginia. But the Guardian came out of his stupor right away.  
the dragon asked as the old man blinked.  
My powers are leaving me, I've told you that already, he said, but he looked at the ground while he said it.  
Wolf pursued him.   
The Guardian narrowed his eyes and frowned. All I heard was silence. But then, as Virginia let her hopes drop, he looked up at her and confessed, Your silence.  
Tamun-Ra smiled, showing all his ferocious teeth. This means they can go free.  
Not quite, Lorelei spoke up for the first time. She was now trembling even more violently, but she didn't back down as the dragons turned their eyes on her.  
We want you to tell us something, Lorelei said to the dragons, without glancing at Virginia, who stood fuming at being held up any longer.  
We will try, Tamun-Ra said.  
It was the Guardian who spoke. Where is my daughter?  
The dragon's wings beat more slowly for a moment, and he dropped several feet. She is dead. I'm sorry.  
The Guardian staggered, and Lorelei dropped to her knees on the cloud, but stared straight ahead at something only she could see.   
The Red dragons. She was going to warn them of your attack, but they killed her instead. There was nothing we could do.  
A tear made its way slowly down Lorelei's cheek. Oh, Acrotis. I feel so terrible.  
Virginia blinked. Acrotis... the Guardian's daughter? And something the girl had said a long time ago to Lorelei, when they had first come through the White Mirror, stood out in Virginia's memory.  
_This isn't the warm welcome I expected... from my sister._  
Virginia's head spun. Acrotis was dead, in any case. She didn't know if that made her more relieved than sad, or the other way around. Maybe she never would know.  
The Guardian and Lorelei still looked shocked, but the Guardian managed to wave an old, gnarled hand at them and said,   
Virginia looked at Wolf, who held Patrick, and at Tony, who didn't seem to understand anything that was going on. Then she looked back at the Guardian and Lorelei. May we tell King Wendell, at least, what you have done for him?   
he answered. I'd like him to know.  
Wolf handed Patrick to Virginia, stepped toward him, and took his hand. Thank you for saving the Nine Kingdoms.  
The old man sighed. We do what we must.  
Wolf nodded and stepped back. Then he looked up at the dragons. I guess we'll be riding on you? he asked with more than a hint of eagerness.  
Tamun-Ra said they would, and positioned himself in such way so that Wolf could clamor up on his back. Tony climbed onto a second one without much hesitation, which was surprising after the scene he had made with the flying carpets. Virginia refused to let the fourth dragon take Patrick by himself, so they both rode together on the particularly big one. Of course, all of them could have fit onto one, but they were riding in style.  
Virginia felt bad to leave Lorelei and the Guardian like they were, but not bad enough to postpone getting back to earth any longer. They would soon come to terms with it, she knew.  
With a wave goodbye, the dragons and their riders launched themselves into the sky, and sped off down toward the ocean.   


CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  


  
King Wendell swallowed hard as he looked at himself in the mirror and smoothed down his neat blond hair nervously. In less than half an hour he was going to have to appear in front of the Council of the Nine Kingdoms and perhaps several hundred onlookers. He had been asked to explain to them exactly what had happened yesterday on the battlefield, why they had somehow won the war without any of the soldiers coming away with so much as a scratch, and why the beanstalk forest had burned to the ground while it was simultaneously being flooded.   
Well, actually, they didn't expect him to answer that last question. After all, floods and lightning were a part of nature, no matter how strangely appropriate their timing, there simply was no explanation for that. But then, Wendell wondered for the thousandth time in utter confusion, what in the fairying forest were those invisible-lightning-dome things?   
Wendell had learned later what had been happening all over the Kingdoms while the storm was raging around his army and the trolls'. Once the rain started, it came down non-stop, sheets of water cascading down from the sky, but the clouds were centered directly over Wendell's army and the forest, and nowhere else. People in these towns claimed to have been working under blue skies. When they heard thunder and looked up, however, they could see huge storm clouds looming over the beanstalk forest and land close to it, and the next second a wave as big as a mountain was rushing toward the farms and villages. All the water coming from the sky that wasn't flooding the beanstalk forest was headed straight for unsuspecting and very frightened people who could do nothing but watch.  
But, as soon as they could blink, the people found themselves, their villages, and their farms being surrounded by lightning, lightning that did not quickly strike the ground and disappear, but moved across the earth tracing a path around their houses and themselves. In the lightning's wake was a watery, transparent shield that could hardly be seen but could not be broken. And just as the wave hit the lightning bolts finished their circles and disappeared, leaving the people safe and sound inside their strange shelters. The wave continued, not harming any person in its path, until it reached the river not far away. The river swelled and downstream Rivertown was forced to make sure the water didn't overcome its banks. But no one was harmed, thanks solely to the very mysterious invisible-lightning-domes, as everyone immediately called them. They disappeared as the last trickles of water either seeped into the ground or flowed in the river, and minutes after the onset of the flood in the valley near Wendell's troops (who, of course, were also protected by a dome) and the wave that threatened everyone for miles around, the land was almost dry and the sun was shining brightly again.   
Better yet, the beanstalk forest and the only home the trolls and giants could call their own was gone. It had been burned to the ground by an angry bolt of lightning with a different purpose than dome making, and all that was left was a large field of black ashes and the twisted roots of once mighty beanstalks. The fire, as mysterious as the domes, put itself out once it reached the borders of the forest.   
Wendell's army had marched back to the Fourth Kingdom in a daze. Many of them had left that morning prepared to never see the rising sun again. They had been expecting to be defeated. Now, though.... what had happened? They had won, that was for sure. But they were confused. And when they arrived home and told everyone they met what had happened, all the Nine Kingdoms became just as baffled. And now, they had all asked Wendell, their King, to explain it to them. Wendell didn't have any answers. And to make it even worse, Tamun-Ra, the leader of the gold dragons, and three of his friends had left without so much as a word to Wendell. They were probably insulted, Wendell thought, that they had come all the way to the Fourth Kingdom to help them, and now it was for nothing. But there wasn't anything he could do about that.  
Wendell glanced at a clock hanging on his bedroom wall. Ten more minutes. He adjusted his crown and stared at his long-nosed reflection disparagingly. He didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to say to the Council and all the people.   
_I'll just tell them the truth_, he thought. But what was the truth?   
He turned away and started walking toward the door, heading for the balcony where he was going to speak. As he passed the Truth Mirror that the Dwarves had given him at his coronation (it was working again now; the Dwarves at Dragon Mountain had finally fixed the Mirrors after the shut-down), he noticed something in his reflection that made him a little less self-conscious, at least... his nose was normal sized. When he reached up to touch his face, however, it was still a couple inches longer than it should have been. Wendell sighed and walked out the door.  
When he reached the balcony, the King timidly peered out of the curtain shielding him from the view of the courtyard. The Council of the Nine Kingdoms sat in a row up front, all of them looking anxious for Wendell to arrive. Behind them stood a huge crowd of onlookers, each with a different bemused expression on his or her face. Wendell's heart sank. He wondered how he ever got in this position, but there was so much to think about that he just closed his eyes and shook his head. One of the guards standing near him tapped him on the shoulder and said quietly that it was time for him to go out there. _Easy for you to say_, thought Wendell wretchedly. But there was no use waiting.   
He stepped out onto the balcony, and was instantly bombarded with a rush of cheering and applause. Blinking, Wendell walked out to the railing and paused to look up at the clear, blue sky before he had to completely humiliate himself. He saw something there he didn't expect.  
Soaring down from the heavens, like four mammoth eagles caught on the wind, were the dragons. They were flying toward Wendell's castle from the north at an amazing pace. Their presence alone surprised the King and everyone else in the courtyard who had begun to look up and stare, but then he noticed what was riding on the dragons' backs, and Wendell almost jumped for joy. Tony, Wolf, Virginia, and best of all baby Patrick were clinging to the dragons with the wind whipping back their hair and their eyelids plastered to their faces. They were alive!  
In seconds the dragons reached the courtyard. The people screamed as the wind form the dragons' wings sent them tumbling over each other. The dragons' riders were dropped off on the balcony, and one by one the huge animals swooped off to light on a different turret of the castle to watch.  
Virginia brushed herself and the baby off and then laughed at the shocked expression on Wendell's face. She handed Patrick to him, and then Wendell laughed too, trying not to cry, in fact. He had been so worried about them for such a long time. He had heard nothing from them at all since they had separated at the edge of the beanstalk forest days ago.   
Where have you...? How did you...? Wendell stuttered as he hugged the baby, who gave him a big sloppy kiss/lick.   
Can we tell you inside? Wolf asked quietly, looking pointedly at the astonished crowd, which was now picking itself up. Some people were staring fixedly at the dragons perched on the towers like enormous gargoyles, others were gaping at the people on the balcony, and many were just screaming. The public had not been informed that dragons were part of their army. The Council sat in front of them and tried to calm everyone down. Wendell hurriedly waved to the crowd with the hand that wasn't holding Patrick and herded Virginia, Wolf, and Tony inside.   
The guards inside were also too surprised to do anything about Wendell's quick get-away, so the five of them made their way without hindrance to the King's chambers. There Virginia and Wolf sat themselves down on a couch, Tony fell into a big armchair, and Wendell stood speechless with Patrick giggling as he tried on his crown.  
So, are you glad we're alive? Tony joked. He could certainly tell by Wendell's face that he was glad to see them.  
Wendell managed after several attempts to say something. There were so many questions, he didn't know where to begin.  
After you left us at the beanstalk forest? Wolf said, thinking. Let's see...  
They took turns telling Wendell the whole story. He sat down and listened silently, his eyes getting wider at many points. When they told him about the Loch Ness monster guarding the White Mirror and planning to smash it if there was any news of a disappearance, Wendell immediately sent for a messenger nymph to tell the Mermaid queen that she needn't worry anymore. Virginia stopped him, though, and told him not to say anything too specific. She began to explain about their promise.   
He listened to the rest of their tale without interrupting, except for the occasional sharp intake of breath. But when they got to the part about Acrotis's death, his shoulders sagged. Watching his expression, Virginia remembered the kiss on the cheek Acrotis had given him the last time they saw him. She wondered if maybe... then shuddered. No. She sighed. If things had only been different!  
After they finished telling Wendell every incredible thing that had happened to them, he shook his head and sat back in his large armchair. Virginia, Wolf, and Tony waited patiently for him to digest it all and waited for his response.  
No wonder, he said softly to himself after several seconds, and shook his head again.  
Virginia asked, sitting forward.  
I was thinking, no wonder it was raining so much here and in Man Hat In. It was the Guardian's doing; he was trying to get rainwater into the Traveling Mirror, then lure you into the Kingdoms by causing the power outage, so that he could take Patrick and then draw you to the White Mirror and Welkin. It makes sense, in an absurd sort of way.  
They considered that for a moment. Tony raised his eyebrows and said, That means they have power over our world's weather, too.  
Virginia looked at Wolf. Do you think that has anything to do with the stars being the same in both dimensions?  
He shrugged. It might. But I doubt the Guardian or anyone up there in his city has any influence on the stars. I think they're a little out of their league.  
Everyone nodded. In a way, it was a relief to know that some things just couldn't be controlled.  
Wendell stood up and handed Patrick, now sleeping, to Wolf. They had been talking for a quarter of an hour. Tony got up and went over to look out the window.  
What are all those people doing in your courtyard? Virginia finally asked Wendell.  
The king closed his eyes and bit his tongue hard as he remembered. I _was_ supposed to be telling them what it was that happened yesterday on the battlefield. Now I actually know, but I can't tell them, or anyone else. What am going to do?  
Wolf piped up, not being entirely sympathetic of Wendell's predicament, We still have no idea where the trolls and their army went.  
Wendell opened his eyes suddenly and grabbed at his hair. You're right! Where in the Nine Kingdoms could they be? They must be found!  
I wouldn't worry about it too much, Virginia comforted him. They're certainly in no position to be planning another attack. I would say they're taken care of for good. The beanstalk forest is destroyed, and since that's where they were hiding in the first place they'll have no where to go now.  
Except to the Northern lands, Wolf said. And that's where the red dragons live. I'm sure they won't make life easy for the trolls, Sasquash, giants, or elves now. Knowing all of them, if all those species try to live together in one place, they'll start fighting each other in no time at all. They'll wipe themselves out.  
You're right, or I sure hope you are, Wendell said, his shoulders sagging in relief. At least that's what I'm going to tell all the people outside.  
Tony, who had been silent through the last part of the conversation, suddenly stood up very straight as he was staring out the window. A wide grin began to spread across his face.  
What is -? Wendell demanded, but before he could say another word something, a small, round, greenish something, shot in through the window, knocked down a lamp, a vase, almost decapitated Virginia (who screamed), and flew _smack_! - into the far wall of the room.   
Wendell and Wolf were stunned for several seconds, but Tony hurried over to the mysterious speeding object. It had slid down the wall after impact and now lay in a crumbled heap on the floor. The rest of them hurried over, just as a small bearded and smiling face was emerging from the folds of dirty green fabric.  
Wolf said incredulously.  
the sprite exclaimed happily in his unique speech, as though his presence there was not at all strange or unexpected.  
What is a filthy pixie doing in my palace? Wendell roared. He was not pleased that an enemy, no matter how small, had dared enter his own bedroom.  
Calm yourself, Virginia ordered him, although she too was looking at the bruised but delighted fairy like he had three heads.  
I don't think you'll consider him so filthy, Tony said, grinning, after you see what's he's brought for you.  
As everyone watched, Nicholas the pixie picked himself up, brushed off his tattered clothes with his tiny hands, straitened his lopsided cap, and flapped his spidery wings until he had climbed to Wendell's eye level. Not for half a second did he stop smiling like he had just bagged a magic fish. They could see that he was lugging something along with him, and he hid it under his cloak. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been bigger or heavier than a large peanut, but that was plenty for the delicate creature to carry.  
Wendell frowned at the pixie, but looked him straight in the golden eyes nonetheless. His frown deepened when Nicholas laid a tiny hand on the King's oversized nose. Then, to Wendell's utter humiliation, the fairy hoisted himself onto his nose and sat on it like it was a park bench. Still he was smiling, but Wendell would fix that.  
Looking at him cross-eyed, Wendell ordered, Remove yourself this instant or I swear by the seven dwarves I will smack you right back to wherever you came from.  
At that Nicholas just laughed. But just as Wendell was raising his hand, he said loudly, Would yu rather I be removn' meself from yur nose, or.... In the blink of an eye, Nicholas reached inside his coat, pulled out a vial of a purple liquid, opened it, and poured it all over Wendell's nose. In a split second, without any flashes or bangs but certainly with an effect, the pixie wasn't sitting on anything at all. ....the other way   
Wendell joyously reached up to his face. With a cry of elation he felt not two inches of extra nose, but a beautifully normal one. He would have embraced Nicholas very tightly if it wasn't for the fact that he would break all the bones in his body. The king was speechless, but the pixie understood. He hovered by Wendell's face and beamed.  
Virginia was extremely amused by all of this. How did you manage to get that? she asked, laughing.  
Well, it was eesy, really, Nicholas boasted. All them trolls was out fightn', so thir pa-lace was just bout deserted. Nobody be noticn' tiny leetle me sneakn' in and out of thir dungeon where theys keeps all them potions locked up. It was hard to find s'actly the right one, but I did be figuren' it out in the end. Then I draaged it all the ways back here, just so I could be's helpn' this here kingy. Yu like it, kingy?  
Wendell didn't look like he had caught half of that, but he nodded and conveyed his heartfelt thanks.   
Wolf looked over at Tony, who had his arms crossed and just shrugged at him. But Wolf said, Oh, you don't fool me. This was your idea, wasn't it? This is what you couldn't stop grinning about all the way back in Welkin when Nicholas left.  
Tony shrugged again, and smiled. I didn't want to steal any of Nicholas's credit since he's obviously enjoying it, but yes, it was my idea.  
How sweet of you, dad, Virginia said, still laughing. Patrick was waking up in Wolf's arms, and when he saw everyone laughing and noticed his favorite play toy zipping around by Wendell's face, he shrieked for joy.  
Virginia looked around the room at each of them, and for the first time in a long time felt truly contented and complete.  
Would you call this a happy ending? she inquired pleasantly of no one in particular.  
Wolf said, putting his arm around her. And now I think it's time to go home.  
Maybe I should go with you guys, Tony suggested slyly, glancing at Wendell. But the King would here none of it. In fact, he looked slightly alarmed.  
I think not! You have to finish my bouncing castle, and I expect it done in a month! I want my courtyard cleaned up as soon as possible.  
All right, all right, Tony said with a smile. Virginia had the idea that he never had any intentions of leaving at all. Maybe Nicholas could help me with finishing up the work, you think? He looked at the pixie, sitting on a lampshade, imploringly.  
I woodn't be mindn' that at all! Nicholas said, looking very flattered at being offered this opportunity.  
As you were saying, Wolf, Virginia said as she took Patrick, Time to go home.  
King Wendell chuckled, and maybe next time you come to the Kingdoms, you'll have a more relaxing stay.   
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
EPILOGUE  


The trip through the Mirror went as normal as any, despite Virginia's fears that for some reason it might not. She couldn't stop thinking over and over again of Patrick being torn from her arms again, but nothing of the sort happened. She, Wolf, and the baby arrived in Central Park without so much as a scratch, even after all their adventures. Patrick himself did feel a bit squished. However, that was probably because of how tightly Virginia had been holding him.  
It was a clear, bright day when they arrived home again, much the opposite of how the weather had been when they left. The people in Welkin were in good spirits again, Virginia supposed.   
The power was back on in New York City, and it seemed like it had been that way for a while. They had been gone for almost a week, and the thought weighed heavily on Virginia and Wolf's minds that they had a lot of catching up to do. For that moment, however, they decided to take a stroll.  
They wandered through the park, and then, instead of heading home, they made their way more toward lower Manhattan. It was a beautiful day for walking, and although they thought they should have been tired after all their adventures, they weren't at all. They savored being back in the city, even Wolf, who had been growing rather fond of it. They pasted tall buildings, busy people, wonderful smells, and everything good that a person can relate to a city. Before they even knew it, they had wandered down to a spot where they could see the water, and the buildings reflected on it.  
Two buildings stood out from the rest, two giants who cast their reflections on the water shimmering in the sun. And may be she was more tired than she thought, or maybe she just wasn't thinking straight at all, but she could have sworn that she saw not two skyscrapers, but a castle on the water. A beautiful castle that reached into the clouds, and really did scrape the sky, and touched heaven. Then she blinked, and it was gone.   


  
  
THE END


End file.
